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Mother’s Nursery Tales 




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CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Sleeping Beauty. 

I 

Jack and the Bean Stalk .... 

13 

Beauty and the Beast ..... 

31 

Jack-the-Giant-Killer. 

47 

The Three Wishes ..... 

7i 

The Goose Girl ...... 

75 

The Little Old Woman and Her Pig 

92 

The White Cat. 

100 

Brittle-Legs. 

115 

“ I Went Up One Pair of Stairs,” etc. 

124 

The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean 

128 

The Water-Sprite. 

132 

Star Jewels. 

. 139 


V 










VI 


CONTENTS 


FAG* 


Sweet Porridge . 




. 146 

Chicken-Diddle 




. 152 

A Pack of Ragamuffins . 




. 157 

The Frog Prince . 




. 165 

The Wolf and the Five Little Goats 



. 174 

The Golden Goose 




. 183 

The Three Spinners 




. 199 

Goldilocks and the Three Bears 




207 

The Three Little Pigs . 




• 215 

The Golden Key . 




229 

Mother Hulda 




. 232 

The Six Companions 




. 241 

The Golden Bird . 




256 

The Nail .... 




. 281 

Little Red Riding-Hood 




00 

Alladin, or the Magic Lamp . 




. 291 

The Cobbler and the Fairies . 




. 323 

Cinderella .... 




. 328 

Jack in Luck 




• 345 

Puss in Boots 




• 356 

The Town Musicians . 




• 369 








INTRODUCTION 

These are not new fairy-tales, the ones in this 
book that has been newly made for you and placed 
in your hands. They are old fairy-tales gathered 
together, some from one country, and some from 
another. They are old, old, old. As old as the 
hills or the human race,—as old as truth itself. 
Long ago, even so long ago as when your grand¬ 
mother’s grandmother’s grandmother was a little 
rosy-cheeked girl, and your grandfather’s grand¬ 
father’s grandfather was a noisy shouting little 
boy, these stories were old. 

ix 









X 


INTRODUCTION 


No one knows who first told them, nor where nor 
when. Perhaps none of them was told by any one 
particular person. Perhaps they just grew upon 
the Tree of Wisdom when the world was young, 
like shining fruit, and our wise and simple first 
parents plucked them, and gave them to their 
children to play with, and to taste. They could 
not harm the children, these fruits from the tree of 
wisdom, for each one was a lovely globe of truth, 
rich and wholesome to the taste. Magic fruit, 
for one could eat and eat, and still the fruit was 
there as perfect as ever to be handed down through 
generations, until at last it comes to you, as beauti¬ 
ful as in those days of long ago. 

Perhaps you did not know that fairy tales were 
ever truths, but they are—the best and oldest of 
them. That does not mean they are facts like the 
things you see around you or learn from history 
books. Facts and truths are as different as the 
body and the spirit. Facts are like the body that 
we can see and touch and measure; we cannot see 
or measure the Spirit, but it is there. 

We can think of these truths as of different 
shapes and colors, like pears and apples, and 


INTRODUCTION 


xi 


plums and other fruits, each with a different 
taste and color. But there is one great truth 
that flows through them all, and you know very 
well what it is:—evil in the end must always 
defeat itself, and in the end good always triumphs. 
The bad magician is tripped up by his own tricks, 
and the true prince marries the princess and 
inherits the kingdom. If any one of these stories 
had told it otherwise, that story would have died 
and withered away. 

So take this book and read, being very sure that 
only good will come to you however often you 
read them over and over and over again. 


Katharine Pyle. 


€ 



Mother’s Nursery Tales 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 

There were once a King and Queen who had no 
children, though they had been married for many 
years. At last, however, a little daughter was born 
to them, and this was a matter of great rejoicing 
through all the kingdom. 

When the time came for the little Princess to be 
christened, a grand feast was prepared, and six 
powerful fairies were asked to stand as her god¬ 
mothers. Unfortunately the Queen forgot to invite 
the seventh fairy, who was the most powerful of 
them all, and was also very wicked and malicious. 

On the day of the christening the six good fairies 
came early, in chariots drawn by butterflies, or by 
doves or wrens or other birds. They were made 
welcome by the King and Queen, and after some 
talk they were led to the hall where the feast had 

i 



2 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


been set out. Everything there was very magnifi¬ 
cent. There were delicious fruits and meats and 
pastries and game and everything that could be 
thought of. The dishes were all of gold, and for 
each fairy there was a goblet cut from a single 
precious stone. One was a diamond, one a sap¬ 
phire, one a ruby, one an emerald, one an amethyst, 
and one a topaz. The fairies were delighted with 
the beauty of everything. Even in their own fairy 
palaces they had no such goblets as those the King 
had had made for them. 

They were just about to take their places at the 
table when a great noise was heard outside on the 
terrace. The Queen looked from the window and 
almost fainted at the sight she saw. The bad fairy 
had arrived. She had come uninvited, and the 
Queen guessed that it was for no good that she 
came. Her chariot was of black iron, and was 
drawn by four dragons with flaming eyes and brass 
scales. The fairy sprang from her chariot in haste, 
and came tapping into the hall with her staff in her 
hand. 

“ How is this? How is this?” she cried to the 
Queen. “ Here all my sisters have been invited to 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 


3 


come and bring their gifts to the Princess, and I 
alone have been forgotten.” 

The Queen did not know what to answer. She 
was frightened. However, she tried to hide her 
fear, and made the seventh fairy as welcome as the 
others. A place was set for her at the King’s right 
hand, and he and the Queen tried to pretend they 
had expected her to come. But for her there was 
no precious goblet, and when she saw the ones that 
had been given to the six other fairies her face grew 
green with envy, and her eyes flashed fire. She 
ate and drank, but she said never a word. 

After the feast the little Princess was brought 
into the room, and she smiled so sweetly and 
looked so innocent that only a wicked heart could 
have planned evil against her. 

The first fairy took the child in her arms and 
said, “ My gift to the Princess shall be that of 
contentment, for contentment is better than 
gold. ,, 

“ Yet gold is good,” said the second fairy, “ and 
I will give her the gift of wealth.” 

“ Health shall be hers,” said the third, “ for 
wealth is of little use without it.” 


4 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ And I,” said the fourth, “will gift her with 
beauty to win all hearts.” 

“ And wit to charm all ears,” said the fifth. 
“ That is my gift to her.” 

The sixth fairy hesitated, and in that moment 
the wicked one stepped forward. While the others 
had spoken she had been swelling with spite like a 
toad. “ And I say,” cried she, “ that in her seven¬ 
teenth year she shall prick her finger with a spindle 
and fall dead.” 

When the Queen heard this she shrieked aloud, 
and the King grew as pale as death. But the sixth 
fairy stepped forward. 

“ Wait a bit,” said she. “ I have not spoken 
yet. I cannot undo what our sister has done, but 
I say that the Princess shall not really die. She 
shall fall into a deep sleep that shall last a hundred 
years, and all in the castle shall sleep with her. At 
the end of that time she shall be awakened by a 
kiss.” 

When the wicked fairy heard this she was filled 
with rage, but she had already spoken; she could 
do no more. She rushed out of the castle and 
jumped into her chariot, and the dragons carried 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 


5 

her away, and where she went no one either knew 
nor cared. 

The other fairies also went away, and they were 
sad because of what was to happen to the Princess. 

But at once the King gave orders that every 
spinning-wheel and spindle in the land should be 
destroyed, and when this was done he felt quite 
happy again. For if all the spindles were gone the 
Princess could not prick her finger with one; and 
if she did not prick her finger she would not fall 
into the enchanted sleep. 

So the King and Queen were at peace, and all 
went well in the castle for seventeen years. All 
that the fairies had promised to the Princess came 
true. She was so beautiful that she was the wonder 
of all who saw her, and so witty and gentle-hearted 
that everyone loved her. Beside this she had 
health, wealth, and contentment, and was smiling 
and joyous from morn till night. 

One day the King and Queen went away on a 
journey, and the Princess took it into her head to 
mount to a high tower where she had never been 
before, and to watch for their return from there. 

She found the stairs that led to the tower, and 


6 


MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


then she mounted them, up and up and up, until 
she was high above the roofs of the castle. At last 
she reached the very top of the tower, and there 
was an iron door with a rusty key in it. 

The Princess turned the key and the door swung 
open. Beyond she saw a room, and an old, old, 
wrinkled woman sat there at a wheel spinning. 

The Princess had never seen a spinning-wheel 
before. It seemed a curious thing to her. She 
went in and stood close to the old woman so as to 
see it better. 

“ What is that you are doing?” she asked. 

“ I am spinning,” answered the old woman. 

“ And what is that little thing that flies around so 
fast?” 

“ That is a spindle.” 

“ It is a curious little thing,” said the Princess, 
and she reached out her hand to touch it. Then 
the point of the spindle pricked her finger, and at 
once the Princess sighed, and her eyes closed, and 
she sank back on a couch in a deep sleep. 

Immediately a silence fell also upon all in the 
castle. The King and Queen had just returned 
from their journey; they had alighted from their 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 


7 


horses and had entered the castle, and just then 
sleep fell upon them. The courtiers who followed 
them also fell asleep. The dogs and horses in the 
courtyard slept, and the pigeons on the eaves. The 
boy who turned the spit in the kitchen slept and 
the cook did not scold him, for she too was 
asleep. The meat did not burn, for the fire was 
sleeping. Even the flies in the castle and the 
bees among the flowers hung motionless. All 
slept. 

Then all about the castle sprang up an enchanted 
forest that shut it in like a wall. The forest grew 
so dark and high that at last not even the topmost 
tower of the castle could be seen. 

But though the Princess slept she was not for¬ 
gotten. Many brave princes and heroes came and 
tried to cut their way through the forest to rescue 
her, but the boughs and branches were as hard as 
iron, and moreover as fast as they were cut away 
they grew again; also they were twisted so closely 
together that no one could creep between them. 
Then as years passed by, the brave heroes who had 
sought the Princess grew old and had children of 
their own. These, too, grew to be men and mar- 


8 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


ried, and at last the Princess was forgotten by all, 
or was remembered only as an old tale. 

At last a hundred years had slipped away, and 
then a young and handsome Prince came by that 
way. He had been hunting, and he had ridden so 
fast and eagerly that he had left his huntsmen far 
behind. Now he was hot and weary, and seeing a 
hut he stopped and asked for a drink of water. 

The man who lived in the hut was very old. 
He brought the water the Prince asked for, and 
after the Prince had drank, he sat awhile and 
looked about him. “ What is that darkness, like 
a cloud, that I see over yonder ? ” he asked. 

“ I cannot tell you for sure,” said the old man, 
“ for it is a long distance away and I have never 
gone to see. But my grandfather told me once that 
it was an enchanted forest. He said there was a 
castle hidden deep in the midst of it, and that in 
that castle lay a Princess asleep. That Princess, 
so he said, was the most beautiful Princess in all 
the world, but a spell had been laid on her, and she 
was to sleep a hundred years. At the end of that 
time a Prince was to come and waken her with a 
kiss.” 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 


9 


“ And how long has she slept now ? ” asked the 
Prince, and his heart beat in his breast like a bird. 

“ That I cannot say,V answered the old man, 
“ but a long, long time. My grandfather was an 
old man when he told me, and he could not re¬ 
member her.” 

The Prince thanked the old man for what he 
had told him, and then he rode away toward the 
enchanted forest, and he could not go fast enough, 
he was in such haste. 

When he was at a distance from the forest, it 
looked like a dark cloud, but as he came nearer it 
began to grow rosy. All the boughs and briers had 
begun to bud. By the time he was close to them 
they were in full flower, and when he reached the 
edge of the forest the branches divided, leaving an 
open path before him. Along this path the Prince 
rode and before long he came to the palace. He 
entered the courtyard and looked about him won¬ 
dering. The dogs lay sleeping in the sunshine and 
never wakened at his coming. The horses stood 
like statues. The guards slept leaning on then- 
arms. 

The Prince dismounted and went on into the 


10 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


palace; on he went through one room after another, 
and no one woke to stop nor stay him. At last he 



came to the stairway that led to the tower and he 
went on up it,—up and up, as the Princess had 
done before him. He reached the tower-room> 
and then he stopped, and stood amazed. There 
on the couch lay a maiden more beautiful than he 



THE SLEEPING BEAUTY 


ii 


had ever dreamed of. He could scarcely believe 
there was such beauty in the world. He looked and 
looked and then he stooped and kissed her. 

At once—on the moment—all through the 
castle sounded the hum of waking life. The King 
and Queen, down in the throne-room stirred and 
rubbed their eyes. The guards started from sleep. 
The horses stamped, the dogs sprang up barking. 
The meat in the kitchen began to burn, and the 
cook boxed the boy’s ears. The courtiers smiled 
and bowed and simpered. 

Up in the tower the Princess opened her eyes, 
and as soon as she saw the Prince she loved him. 
He took her hand and raised her from the couch. 
“ Will you be my own dear bride?” said he. 
And the Princess answered yes. 

And so they were married with great rejoicings, 
and the six fairies came to the wedding and brought 
with them gifts more beautiful than ever were seen 
before. As for the seventh fairy, if she did not 
burst with spite she may be living still. But the 
Prince and Princess lived happily forever after. 




anb 

tbe 

Bean-Stalk 




\ 


JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 


Jack and his mother lived all alone in a little 
hut with a garden in front of it, and they had noth¬ 
ing else in the world but a cow named Blackey. 

One time Blackey went dry; not a drop of milk 
would she give. “See there now!” said the 
mother. “ If Blackey doesn’t give us milk we can’t 
afford to keep her. You’ll have to take her off to 
market, Jack, and sell her for what you can get.” 

Jack was sorry that the little cow had to be sold, 
but he put a halter around her neck and started off 
with her. 

He had not gone far, when he met a little old man 
with a long gray beard. 

“Well, Jack,” said the little old man, “where 
are you taking Blackey this fine morning?” 

Jack was surprised that the stranger should 
know his name, and that of the cow, too, but he 
answered politely, “ Oh, I am taking her to market 
to sell her.” 


15 


16 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

“ There is no need for you to go as far as that,” 
said the little old man, “ for I will buy her from you 
for a price.” 

“ What price would you give me ? ” asked Jack, 
for he was a sharp lad. 

“ Oh, I will give you a handful of beans for her,” 
said the old man. 

“ No, no,” Jack shook his head. “ That would be 
a fine bargain for you; but it is not beans but good 
silver money that I want for my cow.” 

“ But wait till you see the beans,” said the old 
man; and he drew out a handful of them from his 
pocket. When Jack saw them his eyes sparkled, 
for they were such beans as he had never seen 
before. They were of all colors, red and green and 
blue and purple and yellow, and they shone as 
though they had been polished. But still Jack 
shook his head. It was silver pieces his mother 
wanted, not beans. 

“ Then I will tell you something further about 
these beans,” said the man. “ This is such a bar¬ 
gain as you will never strike again; for these are 
magic beans. If you plant them they will grow 
right up to the sky in a single night, and you can 


JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 


17 

climb up there and look about you if you 
like.” 

When Jack heard that he changed his mind, for 
he thought such beans as that were worth more 
than a cow. He put Blackey’s halter in the old 
man’s hand, and took the beans and tied them 
up in his handkerchief and ran home with them. 

His mother was surprised to see him back from 
market so soon. 

“ Well, and have you sold Blackey?” she asked. 

Yes, Jack had sold her. 

“And what price did you get for her?” 

Oh, he got a good price. 

“But how much? How much? Twenty-five 
dollars? Or twenty? Or even ten?” 

Oh, Jack had done better than that. He had 
sold her to an old man down there at the turn of the 
road for a whole handful of magic beans; and then 
Jack hastened to untie his handkerchief and show 
the beans to his mother. 

But when the widow heard he had sold the cow 
for beans she was ready to cry for anger. She did 
not care how pretty they were, and as to their being 
magic beans she knew better than to believe that. 


18 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

She gave Jack such a box on the ears that his head 
rang with it, and sent him up to bed without his 
supper, and the beans she threw out of the window. 

The next morning when Jack awoke he did not 
know what had happened. All of the room was 
dim and shady and green, and there was no sky 
to be seen from the window,—only greenness. 

He slipped from bed and looked out, and then he 
saw that one of the magic beans had taken root 
in the night and grown and grown until it had 
grown right up to the sky. Jack leaned out of the 
window and looked up and he could not see the top 
of the vine, but the bean-stalk was stout enough 
to bear him, so he stepped out onto it and began 
to climb. 

He climbed and he climbed until he was high 
above the roof-top and high above the trees. He 
climbed till he could hardly see the garden down 
below, and the birds wheeled about him and the 
wind swayed the bean-stalk. He climbed so high 
that after awhile he came to the sky country, and 
it was not blue and hollow as it looks to us down 
here below. It was a land of flat green meadows 
and trees and streams, and Jack saw a road before 


JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 


19 

him that led straight across the meadows to a great 
tall gray castle. 

Jack set his feet in the road and began to walk 
toward the castle. 

He had not gone far when he met a lovely lady, 
and she was a fairy, though Jack did not know it. 

“ Where are you going, Jack?” she asked. 

“ I’m going to yonder castle to have a look at 
it,” said Jack. 

“ That is well,” said the lady, “ only you must 
be careful how you poke about there, for that castle 
belongs to a very fierce and rich and terrible giant: 
and now I will tell you something: all the riches 
he has used to belong to your father; the giant 
stole them from him, so if you can fetch anything 
away with you it will be a right and fair thing.” 

Jack thanked her for what she told him, and 
then he went on, setting one foot before the 
other. 

After awhile he came to the castle, and there 
was a woman sweeping the steps, and she was 
the giant’s wife. 

When she saw Jack she looked frightened. 
“ What do you want here?” she cried. “ Be off 


20 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


with you before my husband comes home, for if he 
finds you here it will be the worse for you I can tell 
you.” 

“ Yes, yes, I know said Jack, “ but I’ve had 
no breakfast, and I’m like to drop I’m so hungry. 
Just give me a bite to stay my stomach and I’ll 
be off.” The giant’s wife did not want to do 
that at all, but Jack begged and coaxed until at 
last she let him come into the house and got out a 
bit of bread and cheese for him. 

Jack had hardly set down to it when there was 
a great noise and stamping outside. 

“ Oh, mercy! ” cried the giant’s wife, and she 
turned quite pale. “ There’s my husband com¬ 
ing in, and if he sees you here he’ll swallow you 
down in a trice, and give me a beating into the 
bargain.” 

When Jack heard that he did not like it at all. 
“ Can you not hide me some place?” he asked. 

“ Here, creep into this copper pot,” cried the 
woman, taking off the lid. She helped Jack into 
the pot and put the lid over him, and she had no 
more than done it before the giant came stumping 
into the room. 


JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 


21 


“ Fee, fi, fo, fum! 

I smell the blood of an Englishman I ” 
he roared. 

“ Be he alive or be he dead 
FU grind his bones to make my bread.” 

“ What nonsense! ” said his wife. “ If anyone 
had come here don’t you suppose I would have seen 
him? A crow flew over the roof and dropped a 
bone down the chimney, and that is what you 
smell.” 

When she said that the giant believed her. 
He sat down at the table and called for breakfast. 
The woman set before him three whole roasted 
oxen and two loaves of bread each as big as a 
hogshead, and the giant ate them up in a twinkling. 

“ Now, wife, bring me my moneybags from the 
treasure-room,” he said. 

His wife went out through a great door studded 
with nails, and when she came back she brought 
two bags with her and set them on the table in 
front of the giant. The giant untied the strings 
and opened them, and they were full of clinking 


22 


MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


golden money. The giant sat there and counted 
and counted the money. After it was all counted 
he put it back in the bags again, and then he 
stretched his legs out in front of him and went to 
sleep and snored until the rafters shook. 

The giant’s wife worked around for awhile and 
then she went into another room. Jack waited 
until he was sure she had gone, and then he pushed 
the lid of the pot aside and crept out. He crept 
over to the table and seized hold of the money¬ 
bags and made off with them, and neither the giant 
nor his wife knew anything about it until Jack was 
safe down the bean-stalk and home again. 

When Jack’s mother saw the moneybags she 
was filled with wonder and joy. “ Those were once 
your father’s,” said she, “but they were stolen 
from him, and never did I think to see them again.” 

After that Jack and his mother lived well, they 
had plenty to eat and drink, and good clothes to 
wear, and everything they wanted. And they 
were not stingy; they shared their good luck with 
their neighbors as well. 

After awhile the money was almost gone. “ I’ll 
just climb up the bean-stalk again,” said Jack to 


JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 23 

himself, “ and see what else the giant has in his 
castle.” 

He climbed and he climbed and he climbed, 
and after awhile he came to the giant’s country, 
and there in front of him lay the road to the castle. 
Jack walked along briskly, setting one foot in front 
of the other till he came to the castle door, and as 
he saw no one he opened the door and stepped 
inside. 

There was the giant’s wife scouring the pots and 
pans, and when she saw Jack she almost dropped 
the skillet she was holding. 

“ You here again ? ” 

“ Yes, here I am again,” said Jack. 

“ Then I wish you were some place else,” said 
the giant’s wife; “when you were here before our 
moneybags were stolen, and I can’t help thinking 
you had something to do with it.” 

“ Oh, oh! How can you think that? ” cried Jack. 

“ Well, be off with you, anyway ”; and the giant’s 
wife spoke quite glumly. “ I want no more strange 
lads around here.” 

Yes, Jack would be off in a moment, but wouldn’t 
she give him a bite of breakfast first ? 


24 


MOTHER'S NURSERY TALES 


No, the giant’s wife wouldn’t, and that was flat. 

But Jack was not to be turned off so easily; he 
talked and begged and argued, and while he was 
still talking they heard the giant at the door. 

The giant’s wife was terribly scared, “ Oh, if he 
finds you here won’t I get a beating! ” she cried. 

“ Quick; into the pot again! ” 

Jack crawled into the copper pot and the giant’s 
wife put the lid over him. 

The next moment the giant stamped into the 
room. 

“ Fee, fi, fo, fum,” 
he bawled, 

“ I smell the blood of an Englishman; 

Be he alive or be he dead, 

I’ll grind his bones to make my bread! ” 

“ Nonsense, ” said his wife, “ you’re always 
fancying things. Here, sit down at the table and 
eat your breakfast. A crow flew over the roof and 
dropped a bone in the fire, and that is what you 
smell.” 

The giant sniffed about a bit, and then, still 
muttering to himself, he sat down at the table and 


JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 


25 


began to eat. After he had finished he cried, 
“ Now wife, bring me my little red hen from the 
treasure-room. ,, 

His wife went into the treasure-room, and pres¬ 
ently she came back with a little red hen in her 
apron. She set it on the table before the giant. 
The giant grinned till he showed all his teeth. 

“ My little red hen, my pretty red hen, lay,” 
said the giant. 

As soon as he said that the hen laid an egg all of 
pure gold. 

“ My little red hen, my pretty red hen, lay! ” 
said the giant. Then the little red hen laid another 
egg. 

“ My little red hen, my pretty red hen, lay,” 
said the giant. Then the hen laid a third egg. 

“ There ! ” said the giant, “ that is enough for 
to-day. Now, wife, you can take her back to the 
treasure-room again.” 

His wife took up the hen and carried her off to 
the treasure-room, but when she came back into 
the kitchen she forgot to shut the treasure-room 
door behind her. 

Then the giant stretched his legs out in front of 


26 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


him and went to sleep and snored till the rafters 
shook. 

His wife worked around in the kitchen, and after 
awhile, when she wasn’t looking, Jack crept out 
of the pot. He crept over to the door of the treas¬ 
ure-room and slipped through, and there was the 
little red hen sitting comfortably on a golden nest. 

Jack caught her up under his arm and she never 
made a sound. Then he crept back through the 
kitchen and out through the door, and made off 
down the road, and the giant’s wife never saw him 
at all. 

But just as Jack reached the bean-stalk the hen 
began to cackle. This woke the giant. “Wife, 
wife,” he roared, “ someone is stealing my little red 
hen,” and he ran out of the castle and looked all 
about him; but he could see no one, for Jack was 
already half-way down the bean-stalk. 

After that Jack and his mother never had any 
lack of anything, for whenever he wanted money he 
had only to say, “ My little red hen, my pretty red 
hen, lay,” and the hen would lay a gold egg. 

Still Jack was not satisfied. He wanted to see 
what else was in the giant’s castle. So one day, 


JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 


27 


without saying a word to his mother, he climbed the 
bean-stalk and hurried along the road to the giant’s 
castle. He did not want to meet the giant’s wife, 
for he thought maybe she had guessed that it was 
he who had taken the giant’s hen, and the money¬ 
bags, and so indeed she had, and what was more 
she had told the giant all about it, too. 

Jack crept up to the castle very carefully, and he 
saw no one. He opened the castle door a crack 
and peeped in, and still he saw no one. He pushed 
it open a little wider and then he ran in and across 
the kitchen and hid himself in the great oven. 

He had no more than done this before the giant’s 
wife came in. “Pfu!” said she. “What a 
draft!” and she closed the outside door. Then 
she set the giant’s breakfast on the table, still 
talking to herself. “ The door must have blown 
open,” said she. “ I’m sure I closed it when I 
went out.” 

Presently the giant came thumping and stump¬ 
ing into the house. The moment he entered the 
room he began to bawl— 

“ Fee,fi, fo,fum! 

I smell the blood of an Englishman; 


28 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Be he alive or be he dead, 

I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.” 

“ What? What? ” cried his wife, “ I found the 
door open just now. Do you suppose that dratted 
boy is in the house again?” 

“ If he is, I’ll soon put an end to him,” said 
the giant. 

The giant’s wife ran to the copper pot and 
lifted the lid, and looked inside it, but no one was 
there. Then she and the giant began to hunt 
about. They looked in the cupboards and behind 
the doors, and every place, but they never thought 
of looking in the oven. 

“ He can’t be here after all,” said the wife, “ or 
we would have found him. It must be something 
else you smell.” 

So the giant sat down and began to eat his break¬ 
fast, but as he ate he mumbled and grumbled to 
himself. 

After he had finished he said, “ Wife, bring out 
my golden harp to sing for me.” 

His wife went into the treasure-room and came 
back carrying a golden harp. She set it on the 


JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 


29 


table before the giant and at once it began to make 
music, and the music was so beautiful that it 
melted the heart to hear it. The giant’s wife sat 
down to listen, too, and presently the music put 
them both to sleep. Then Jack crept out of the 
oven and seized the harp and made off with it. 

At once the harp began to call, “ Master! master! 
help! Someone is running off with me!” 

The giant started out of sleep and looked about 
him. When he found the harp gone he gave a 
roar like an angry bull. He ran to the door and 
there was Jack already more than half-way down 
the road. “ Stop! stop! ” cried the giant, but Jack 
had no idea of stopping. He ran until he reached 
the bean-stalk, and then he began climbing down it 
as fast as he could, still carrying the harp. 

The giant followed and when he came to the 
bean-stalk he looked down, and there was Jack 
far, far below him. The giant was not used to 
climbing. He did not know whether to follow or 
not. Then the harp cried again, “Help, master, 
help! ” The giant hesitated no longer. He caught 
hold of the bean-stalk and began to climb down. 

By this time Jack had reached the ground. 


30 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ Quick! quick, mother! ” he cried. “ Bring me 
an ax.” 

His mother came running with an ax. She did 
not know what he wanted it for, but she knew he 
was in a hurry. 

Jack seized the ax and began to chop the bean¬ 
stalk. The giant above felt the stalk tremble. 
“ Wait! wait a bit! ” he cried, “ I want to talk to 
you! ” 

But before he could say anything more the bean¬ 
stalk was chopped through and fell with a mighty 
crash, and as the giant fell with it that was the end 
of him. 

But Jack and his mother lived in peace and 
plenty forever after. 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


There was once a merchant who had three 
daughters. The two older ones were handsome 
enough, but the third was a beauty, and no mistake; 
her eyes were as blue as the sky, her hair was as 
black as ebony, and her cheeks were like roses. 
The merchant loved his two older daughters dearly, 
but this Beauty was the darling of his heart. 

Things went along pleasantly for a long time, 
and the merchant was rich and prosperous, but 
then things began to go wrong with him. One 
after another of his ships was lost at sea, and a 
great part of his fortune with them. 

One day the merchant called his daughters to 
him and said, “My children, I find it will be neces¬ 
sary for me to go on a long journey. I am no longer 
a rich man, but I wish to bring home a gift to each 
one of you, so tell me what you would like to have. ,, 

Then the two older daughters began to think of 


32 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


all the things they wanted, and each was afraid the 
other would get something finer than she did. 

At last the eldest spoke, “Dear father,” said 
she, “ I wish you would bring me a velvet robe 
embroidered with gold, and shoes to match, and a 
fan to wave in my hand.” 

“ And I,” said the second, “ would like a neck¬ 
lace of pearls, and pearls for my hair, and a fine 
bracelet.” 

The merchant was troubled that his daughters 
should ask for such costly things, but he did not 
like to refuse them. “ And you, Beauty,” said he, 
turning to his youngest daughter, “ what will you 
have? ”' 

“ Dear father,” said she, “ you have given me so 
much that I have nothing left to wish for; but if you 
bring me anything at all let it be a rose.” 

When her older sisters heard this they were very 
angry. They thought that Beauty had asked only 
for a rose so that she might shame them before 
their father, and make him think she was more 
unselfish than they were. But Beauty had had no 
such thought as that. 

The merchant smiled at his youngest daughter 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


33 


and kissed her thrice, but his older daughters he 
kissed only once. Then he mounted his horse and 
rode away. 

He journeyed on for several days, and at last he 
reached the city he was bound for. Here he found 
he had lost even more of his fortune than he had 
thought. He was now a poor man. Still he man¬ 
aged to buy the gifts his two older daughters had 
asked for, and then with a sad heart he set out for 
home. 

He had not journeyed far, however, when he 
was overtaken by a storm and lost himself in a 
deep forest. He rode this way and that, trying to 
find the way out, and then suddenly he came to an 
open place, and there he saw before him a magni¬ 
ficent castle. 

The merchant was amazed. He had never 
heard of such a castle in that forest. He rode up 
to the door and knocked, hoping to find shelter 
for the night. 

Scarcely had he knocked when the great door 
swung open before him. He entered and looked 
about, no one was there; everything was silent. 
Wondering he went on into one room after another. 


34 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Everything was very magnificent and well ar¬ 
ranged, but nowhere was a soul to be seen. 
At last he came to a room where a supper was 
set out. The plates were all of gold, and the 
fruits and meats were of the rarest and most de¬ 
licious kinds. 

The merchant was so hungry that he sat down at 
the table, and at once the food was served to him 
by invisible hands, while soft music sounded from 
a hidden room beyond. 

He ate heartily and then arose and went in 
search of a place to sleep. This he soon found. 
A bed had been made ready in a large chamber, 
and here he undressed and lying down he slept 
until morning without being disturbed. 

When he awoke he found his own travel-stained 
clothes had been taken away. In their place a 
handsome suit had been laid out, and other neces¬ 
sary things, all of the richest kind. There was also 
a bag filled with gold pieces. Wondering still 
more, the merchant arose and dressed and went 
out into the gardens to look about him. Here 
everything was more beautiful than any garden he 
had ever seen before. There were winding paths 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


35 

and fountains, and fruit-trees and flowering 
plants. 

Beside one of the fountains was a rose-bush 
covered with the roses. The sight of these roses 
reminded the merchant of Beauty’s wish, and he 
thought it would be no harm to break off one to 
carry to her. He chose the largest and finest rose. 
Scarcely had he plucked it, however, when the 
air was filled with a sound of thunder, the ground 
rocked under his feet, and a terrible looking beast 
appeared before him. 

“Miserable man!” cried the Beast, “what 
have you done ? All the best in the castle was 
offered to you. Why have you broken my rose¬ 
bush that is dearer to me than anything in the 
world? Now for this you must surely die.” 

The merchant was terrified. “ Oh, dear, good 
Beast do not kill me! ” he cried. “ I meant no 
harm. Only let me go, and I will never trouble 
you again.” 

“ No, no,” answered the Beast. “ You shall 
not escape so easily. You have broken my rose¬ 
bush and you must suffer for it.” 

Still the merchant begged and entreated to be 


36 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


spared and at last the Beast had pity on him. 
“If I spare your life,” said he, “what will you 
give me in return for it ? ” 

“ Alas,” said the merchant, “ what can I give 
you ? I have lost all my fortune and I am now a 
poor man. I have nothing left in the world but 
my three daughters.” 

“ Give me one of your daughters for a wife and 
I will be satisfied,” said the Beast. 

The merchant was horrified at the thought of 
such a thing. He would have refused, but he 
feared that if he did so the Beast would tear him 
to pieces at once. 

“ You may have three months in which to think 
it over,” said the Beast. “ But you must promise 
me that at the end of that time you will return 
here and either bring me one of your daughters 
or come prepared to die.” 

The merchant was obliged to promise this; he 
could not help himself. As soon as he had prom¬ 
ised the Beast disappeared and the man was 
free to go, and this he was not slow to do. 

He rode on toward his home and his heart was 
heavy within him. He did not see how he could 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


37 


possibly give one of his daughters to be the bride 
of a hideous beast and yet he did not wish to die. 

His daughters met him with joy, and the two 
older sisters were delighted when they saw the 
beautiful gifts he had brought them. Only Beauty 
noticed his sad and downcast looks. 

“Dear father,” said she, “why are you 
troubled ? Has something unfortunate hap¬ 
pened to you ? ” 

At first her father would not tell her, but she 
urged and entreated him to tell her until finally 
he could keep silence no longer. He told his 
daughters all about the castle and his adventure 
there and of the Beast, and of how unless one of 
them would consent to marry the Beast he would 
have to lose his life. 

When the older daughters heard this they were 
ready to faint. Not even to save their father’s 
life could they consent to marry such a creature. 

“Dear father,” said Beauty, “you shall not 
die. I will be the Beast’s bride.” 

“ Yes, yes,” cried her sisters. “ That is only 
right. If Beauty had not asked for the rose this 
misfortune would not have happened.” 


38 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


To this the merchant would not at first agree. 
Beauty was the dearest to him of all his daughters. 
He had hoped that if any of them was to marry the 
Beast it might be one of the older sisters. But 
they would not hear of this and when, at the end of 
three months, the merchant set out to return to the 
castle he took Beauty with him. 

They rode along and rode along and after awhile 
they came to the forest, and then it did not take the 
merchant long to find the castle. He knocked at 
the door, and it opened as before, and he and 
Beauty went in through one room after another, 
and everything was so magnificent that she could 
not but admire it. At last they came to the supper- 
room, and here a delicious feast was set out for 
them. They sat down and ate while soft music 
sounded around them. Beauty began to think the 
master of all this could not be such a terrible crea¬ 
ture after all. 

But scarcely had they finished their supper be¬ 
fore the Beast appeared before them, and when 
Beauty saw him she began to shake and tremble, 
for he was even more dreadful looking than her 
father had said. 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


39 


“ Do not fear me, Beauty,” he said in a gentle 
voice. “ I will do you no harm. Your father has 
brought you here, and it is true that here you must 
stay, but you need i\ot marry me unless you are 
quite willing to.” 

“ I do not wish to marry you, Beast, and you must 
know that,” said Beauty. “ But I fear that if I 
do not you may harm my father.” 

“ No, Beauty, I will not harm him. He may go 
in peace, and perhaps after you have been here 
awhile you may learn to like me enough to marry 
me.” 

Beauty did not believe this, but the Beast spoke 
so gently that she no longer feared him and when 
the time came for her father to go she bade him 
good-by and did not grieve him by weeping. 

After that Beauty lived there in the Beast's castle 
and was well content. Every day she went out 
into the gardens, and the Beast came and played 
with her for awhile, and she grew very fond of him. 
Every day before he left her he said, “ Beauty, are 
you willing to marry me?” 

But always Beauty answered, “ No, dear Beast, 
I do not wish to marry you;” 


40 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Then the Beast would sigh heavily and go away. 

One day Beauty was sitting before a large mirror 
in her room, and she was sad because she had not 
seen her father for so long. 

“ I wish,” said she, “ that I could see what my 
dear father is doing at this moment.” 

As she said this she raised her eyes to the 
mirror. What was her surprise to see in it the 
reflection of a room quite different from the one 
she was in. It was a room in her own home that 
she saw reflected there. She saw in it the images 
of her father and sisters. She could see them 
smile and move, and she could tell exactly what 
they were doing. She found she could watch 
them in the mirror for as long as she pleased and 
whenever she pleased. 

After this Beauty often came to sit before the 
mirror, and she had only to wish it and she could 
see her home, and all that was going on there. 

But one day when she sat down before the glass 
she saw that her father was ill. He lay upon his 
bed so pale and weak that Beauty was terrified. 
She jumped up and ran out into the garden calling 
for the Beast. 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


4i 


At once he appeared before her. “ What is it ? ” 
asked the Beast anxiously. “ What has frightened 
you, Beauty? ” 

“ Alas,’’ she cried, “my father is ill. Oh, dear, 
kind Beast let me go to him I pray, and I will love 
you for ever after.” 

The Beast looked very grave. “ Very well, 
Beauty,” he said, “ I will let you go, for I can re¬ 
fuse you nothing. But promise me you will re¬ 
turn at the end of a week, for if you do not some 
great misfortune will happen to me.” 

Beauty was very willing to promise this. The 
Beast then gave her a ring set with a large ruby. 
“ When you go to bed to-night,” he said, “ turn 
the ruby in toward the palm of your hand and wish 
you were in your father’s house, and in the morning 
you will find you are there. When you are ready 
to return do the same thing, and you will find your¬ 
self back in the castle again. And do not forget 
that by the end of a week, to an hour, you must 
return or you will bring suffering upon me.” 

Beauty did as the Beast told her. That night 
when she lay down she turned the ruby of the 
ring in toward the palm of her hand and wished 


42 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


she were in her father’s house, and what was her 
joy, when she awakened the next morning, to 
find herself in her own bed at home. She arose 
and ran to her father’s room, and the merchant was 
so delighted to see her that from that hour he began 
to get better, and in a few days he was as well as 
ever again. 

Beauty’s sisters asked her a great many ques¬ 
tions about the castle where she lived, and when 
they heard how fine it was, and how happy she was 
there, they were filled with envy. “ Beauty al¬ 
ways gets the best of everything,” they said to each 
other. “She is younger than either of us, and see 
how finely she lives; much better than we do.” 
They then planned together as to how they could 
keep Beauty from going back to the castle at the 
end of the week. “ If we can only make her break 
her promise to the Beast,” said they, “ he might 
be so angry with her that he would send her away 
and take one of us to live at his castle instead.” 

The day before Beauty was to return to the Beast 
they put a sleeping-powder in the goblet that she 
drank from. 

As soon as Beauty had swallowed this powder 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


43 


she became very sleepy. Her eyelids weighed 
like lead, and presently she fell into a deep slum¬ 
ber, and she did not awaken for two days and 
nights. At the end of that time Beauty had a 
dream, and in her dream she walked in the castle 
gardens. She came to the rose-bush beside the 
fountain, and there lay the poor Beast stretched out 
on the ground, and he was almost dead. He opened 
his eyes and looked at her sadly. “Ah, Beauty, 
Beauty,” he said, “ why did you break your prom¬ 
ise to return at the end of a week? See what 
suffering you have brought on me.” 

Beauty awoke, sobbing bitterly. “ Alas, alas! ” 
she cried. “ I must go at once. I feel some harm 
has come to the Beast, and that it is my fault, 
though how I do not know.” For she did not 
know she had been asleep for two days and nights. 

She turned the ruby ring with the ruby toward 
the palm of her hand, and wished herself back in 
the castle and then lay down and went to sleep. 

When she awoke she was in the castle again, and 
it was early morning. She ran out into the garden, 
and straight to the rose-bush. There, as in her 
dream, she saw the Beast stretched out on the 


44 


MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


ground, and he seemed to be without life or 
breath. Beauty threw herself down on the ground 
and took his head in her lap, and her tears ran 
down and fell upon him, and it seemed to her she 
did not love even her father as dearly as she loved 
the Beast. “ Oh, Beast—dear, dear Beast,” she 
cried, “can you not hear me? Are you quite, 
quite dead?” 

Then the Beast opened his eyes and looked at 
her. “ Ah, Beauty,” he said, “ I thought you had 
deserted me. Do you not yet love me enough to 
marry me?” 

“ Oh, I do! I do love you enough, and gladly will 
I be your bride,” cried Beauty. 

No sooner had she said this than the rough furry 
hide of the Beast fell apart, and a handsome young 
prince all dressed in white satin and silver stood 
before her. Beauty looked at him wondering. 
“ Yes, you shall indeed be my own dear bride,” 
cried the Prince, “for you and you alone have 
broken the enchantment that held me.” 

Then the Prince, a Beast no longer, told Beauty 
that a wicked fairy had changed him into the shape 
of a Beast, and not until a fair young maiden would 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


45 


love him enough to be his bride would the en¬ 
chantment be broken. But Beauty had loved him 
for his kindness and goodness in spite of his ugly 
form, and now never again could the wicked fairy 
have any power over him. 

And now all through the castle was heard a 
sound of life and of voices and of running to 
and fro. For the same enchantment that had 
changed the Prince to a Beast had made all his 
people invisible, and now, they too were freed from 
the spell. 

Then how happy Beauty was. If she had loved 
the Beast she loved the handsome young Prince 
a thousand times better. A grand wedding feast 
was prepared, and her father and sisters were sent 
for. Her father was given the place of honor, but 
it was quite different with her sisters; because of 
their hard hearts they were changed into two stat¬ 
ues and they stood one on either side of the door¬ 
way. 

But Beauty was too gentle to bear them any ill- 
will. After she was married she often used to go 
and stand beside the statues and talk to them, and 
her tears fell upon them so that after awhile their 


46 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


hard hearts grew soft and the stone melted back 
to flesh again. Then they were all very happy to¬ 
gether. The two sisters were married to two 
noblemen of the court. 

As for Beauty and the Prince, nothing could 
equal their love for each other, and they lived 
together happy forever after, and no further harm 
ever came to them. 




JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 

There was once a stout Cornish lad named Jack 
who had trained himself in every sort of sport. 
He could wrestle and throw and swim better than 
any other lad in the country; indeed there were 
few, even among the men, who could equal him in 
strength and skill. 

At that time there lived, on an island just off 
the coast of Cornwall, a giant named Cormoran. 
This giant was the pest of the whole land. He was 
twenty feet high, and as broad as any three men. 
People were so afraid of him that when he waded 
over from his island to the mainland they all ran 
and hid in their houses, and then he carried off 
their flocks and herds as he chose, and asked no 
leave of anyone. Seven sheep he ate at a meal, 
and three oxen were not too much for him. There 
was much complaining through the land because 
of the way he wasted it. 

Now Jack was as bold as he was strong, and he 

47 


48 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

made up his mind to free the people from this 
scourge of a giant. He waited for a dark night 
when there was no moon, and then he swam from 
the mainland over to the island. The waves were 
high and the water cold, but Jack paid no heed to 
that. He took with him a pick, a shovel, an ax, 
and a horn. 

As soon as he landed on the island he set to 
work to dig a pit in front of the giant’s cave—a 
pit both wide and deep. The giant was asleep, 
for Jack could hear him snoring in his cave, and so 
he knew nothing of what was being done by the 
brave lad. 

Toward morning the pit was finished. Then 
Jack covered it over with branches, and scattered 
earth and stones over it so that no one could have 
told it was any different from the ground around it. 
After that he took his horn and blew a blast both 
loud and long. 

The sound awakened the giant from his sleep, 
and he sprang to his feet and came stumbling out 
from his cave. He glared about him and presently 
his eyes fell upon Jack. 

“ Miserable dwarf! ” he cried. “ Is it you who 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 


49 


has dared to disturb my sleep ? Wait but a mo¬ 
ment until I have my hands on you, and I will 
punish you as you deserve! ” 

Jack laughed aloud. “ I fear you not! ” he 
cried. “ And as for punishing me, you will find 
that easier said than done.” 

The giant gave a cry of rage and sprang toward 
Jack, but no sooner did he step upon the branches 
that covered the pit than they gave way beneath 
him, and he fell down into the pit and broke his 
neck. There he lay without sound or motion, and 
seeing that he was dead Jack left him where he 
lay and swam back to the mainland. 

When the people learned that the giant was dead 
and would trouble them no more they went wild 
with joy. Jack was hailed as a hero and a belt 
was given him on which were letters of gold that 
read— 


“ This is the gallant Cornishman 
Who killed the giant Cormoran.” 

And now the lad was no longer called plain Jack, 
but Jack-the-Giant-Killer. 

Now many miles away in a deep forest there lived 


50 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


still another giant named Blunderbore. This giant 
was full as strong and great as Cormoran had ever 
been. 

When Blunderbore heard how the Cornish lad 
had killed Cormoran, and that now he was called 
“ Jack-the-Giant-Killer ” he was filled with rage. 
He swore he would find Jack and destroy him 
even as Cormoran had been destroyed. 

But Jack was no whit afraid. He had made up 
his mind to altogether free the land from giants; 
and he wished nothing better than to try his wits 
with Blunderbore. So one day he took a stout 
oak in his hand and set out in search of the giant. 

He walked along and walked along, and after 
awhile he came to a forest, and there a cool spring 
bubbled up in the shade of the trees. 

Jack was hungry and thirsty, and tired too, so he 
sat him down by the spring and ate the bread and 
cheese he carried, and drank of the fresh water, 
and then he stretched himself out and went fast 
asleep. 

He had not been long asleep when the giant 
Blunderbore came by that way. Blunderbore was 
very much surprised to see a youth lying there and 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 


5i 


sleeping quietly beside his fountain, for none ever 
before had dared to venture here into this forest 
for fear of him. 

He saw a glitter of golden letters upon a belt 
the lad wore, and stooping he read the words— 

“ This is the gallant Cornishman 
Who slew the giant Cormoran. ,, 

At once the giant knew who Jack was, and he 
was filled with joy at the thought that now he had 
the lad in his power. He did not wait for Jack to 
waken, but swung him up on his shoulder, and 
made off with him through the forest. 

Now Blunderbore was so tall that his shoulders 
were up among the branches as he strode along, 
and the boughs whipped Jack in the face and 
woke him from his sleep. He was greatly amazed 
to find himself journeying along among the leaves 
on the giant’s shoulder instead of resting quietly 
beside the fountain. However, he was not afraid. 
“ I can do nothing at present,” thought he to him¬ 
self, “but after awhile the giant will put me down, 
and then my wits will soon teach me a way to get 
the better of him.” 


52 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The giant strode along without stop or stay 
until at last he came to a great gloomy castle and, 
this was where he lived. He carried Jack in 
through the door into the castle and up a flight of 
stone steps to a room that was directly over the 
outer doorway. Here he came to a halt and threw 
Jack down upon a heap of straw in the comer. 

“ Lie there for awhile, my little giant-killer,” 
cried he. “I have a brother who is not only 
bigger and stronger than I am, but has more wits 
as well. I will go off and fetch him, and after he 
gets here then we will decide what to do with you.” 

So saying the giant left the room, and after lock¬ 
ing the door behind him he made off across the 
hills in search of his brother. 

No sooner was Jack left alone than he began to 
examine the room. He quickly noticed that the 
door of the castle was directly under his window. 
In one corner of the room lay a great coil of rope. 
Jack took up this rope and made a slip noose in one 
end of it. This noose he hung from the window. 
The other end he passed over a great beam over¬ 
head. Then he sat down and waited for the 
monster to return. 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 


53 


He did not have long to wait. Soon he heard 
the giant and his brother talking and grumbling 
together as they came up the road to the castle. 
He waited until they had reached the doorway 
and were directly under the window. Then he 
dropped the slip noose over both their heads. 
Quickly snatching up the other end of the rope he 
pulled with all his might and drew the two giants 
up into the air, struggling and kicking. He then 
leaned from the window and with his sword he 
cut off both their heads. 

It did not take him long after that to slide down 
the rope and get the keys that hung from Blunder- 
bore’s belt. With these in his hand he reentered 
the castle and went all through it, unlocking door 
after door. 

He opened the giant’s treasure-chamber and 
found it full of gold and silver and jewels and all 
sorts of precious stuffs that had been stolen from 
the people of the land, for Blunderbore was a great 
robber. 

In the dungeons under the castle were many 
merchants and noblemen and fair ladies whom the 
giant had robbed and kept as prisoners. 


54 


MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


When these people found that Jack had come to 
free them, and that he had killed the giant, 
they were so glad and grateful that there was 
nothing they would not have done for the lad. 
Some of them wept for joy. 

Jack led them to the treasure-chamber and bade 
them take all they could carry of the treasures 
that were there. They would gladly have left it 
all for him, but the lad would have none of it. 

“ No, no,” he said. “ I have no need of riches, 
and if I were loaded down with gold and silver I 
could not travel about so lightly as I do.” 

He bade the grateful people good-by and 
journeyed on his way, leaving them to find their 
own way home, which, no doubt they all did in good 
time. 

By evening of the next day Jack was well away 
from Blunderbore’s forest, and just as he was 
wondering where he should find food and shelter 
for the night he came to a great house and saw a 
light shining from the windows. 

He knocked, and the door was opened to him by 
a giant with two heads. This giant was quite as 
wicked as either Cormoran or Blunderbore, but 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 


55 


he was very sly and cunning. Instead of seizing 
Jack and throwing him into a dungeon he made him 
welcome. He set a hot supper before him, and 
talked with him pleasantly, and after awhile he 
showed the lad to a room where he could sleep. 

But smiling and pleasant though the giant was 
Jack did not trust him. He felt sure the monster 
was planning some mischief, so instead of going to 
bed after the giant left him, he stole to the door of 
the room and listened. He heard the giant strid¬ 
ing up and down, and presently he heard him mut¬ 
ter to himself, 

“ Though here with me you lodge to-night, 

You shall not see the morning light, 
Because I mean to kill you quite.” 

“ That you shall not,” thought Jack to himself. 
“ And if you think I am going to get into bed and 
lie there while you beat me with a cudgel you are 
mistaken.” 

He began to feel about the room, and presently 
he found a great billet of wood. This he laid in 
the bed in his place, and drew the coverlet over it, 
and then he hid in a corner of the room. 


56 


MOTHER'S NURSERY TALES 


Not long afterward the giant opened the door. 
He crept over to the bed very quietly and felt 
where the billet of wood was lying under the covers. 
Then he took his club and beat it until, if Jack had 
been lying there, he would certainly have been 
pounded to a jelly. After that the monster went 
back to his own bed well satisfied, and slept and 
snored. 

But what was his astonishment the next morn¬ 
ing when Jack appeared brisk and smiling and 
without so much as even a bruise upon him. 

“Did—did you sleep well last night?" stam¬ 
mered the giant. 

“ Oh, well enough," answered Jack, “ but a rat 
must have run over the bed, for I thought I felt him 
whisk his tail in my face once or twice. I looked 
for him this morning, but I could not find him, so 
perhaps I dreamed it." 

When the giant heard this he was frightened. 
He thought Jack must be a wonderful hero to stand 
such blows as his and scarcely feel them. How¬ 
ever, he said no more, and the two sat down to 
breakfast together. The giant ate and drank as 
much as ten men, but Jack had hidden a leather 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 


57 


bag under his doublet and he kept slipping the 
food into this as fast as the giant set it before him. 
The monster wondered and wondered that such a 
small man could eat so much. 

After breakfast Jack said, “ Now I will show you 
a trick, and if you cannot do the same thing then 
you will have to own that I am the better fellow of 
us two.” 

To this the giant agreed. Jack then took a knife 
and ripped open the leather bag that was hidden 
under his doublet. 

“ There! ” he cried. “ Can you do the like ? ” 

The giant was amazed, for he never guessed that 
it was only a bag that Jack had cut open. However, 
he was not to be outdone. Catching up a knife he 
ripped himself open, and that was the end of him. 

“The world is well rid of another monster,” 
said Jack, and leaving the giant where he lay he 
set out in search of further adventures. 

He had not gone far along the road when he met 
a young prince riding along without any attendants 
to follow him. This Prince was the son of the great 
King Arthur of Britain, and he had left his father’s 
court and ridden out into the world in search of a 


58 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


lovely lady who had been carried off by a magician. 
This magician held her prisoner by his enchant¬ 
ments and it was to free her that the Prince had 
ridden forth alone. 

When Jack learned who the Prince was, and the 
adventure he was bent on, he begged to be allowed 
to go along as an attendant. 

“ That is all very well,” said the Prince, “ but 
if you travel with me you will fare hard indeed. 
I have given away all my money, and I do not 
know where to find food or even a place to sleep.” 

“ Do not let that trouble you,” said Jack. 
“ Not far from here lives a three-headed giant. 
He has a fine castle and a well-stocked larder. 
Only leave the matter to me and I will arrange it so 
that you can spend the night there and have a fine 
feast beside.” 

At first the Prince was very unwilling to agree 
to this. The adventure seemed to him a very 
dangerous one, but in the end Jack persuaded him 
to agree to it, and mounting on the Prince’s horse 
he set out for the castle, leaving the Prince to 
await him by the wayside. 

Jack rode briskly along and it did not take him 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 59 

long to reach the castle. He knocked boldly at 
the door. 

“ Who is there ? ” called the giant from within. 

“ It is your Cousin Jack, and I bring you news, ,, 
answered Jack. 

The giant opened the door and looked out. 
“Well, Cousin Jack, and what is the news you 
bring ?” 

Why, the news was that a Prince and his com¬ 
pany intended to spend the night in the giant’s 
castle, and were even then almost at the door. 
If the giant were wise he would flee away and 
leave the castle to the Prince. Then after the 
Prince and his company had gone the giant might 
safely return again. 

But no, the monster was not so easily to be 
scared out of his castle. “ I can drive back five 
hundred men,” cried he, “ so why should I be 
afraid ? ” 

“ Yes, but can you drive back two thousand?” 
asked Jack. 

“ Two thousand! Two thousand, did you say ? ” 
Why that was a different matter, and if the Prince 
were coming with two thousand men at his back, 


6o 


MOTHER'S NURSERY TALES 


then it was indeed time for the giant to hide away. 
He then told Jack where there was a secret cham¬ 
ber all made of iron. There he would hide, and he 
begged the lad to lock him in, and not, for any 
cause to unlock the door until the Prince had gone. 

This Jack promised. He locked the giant in the 
secret chamber, and then he rode back to fetch his 
master. 

That night Jack and the Prince feasted right 
merrily on the good things from the monster’s 
larder, and the next morning the Prince rode on his 
way and Jack unlocked the chamber door and let 
the giant out. 

“ What a blockhead I am! ” cried the monster 
as soon as he was free. “ Yonder in the comer 
lie the cap of darkness, the cloak of wisdom, and 
the sword of sharpness. If I had only thought of 
putting on the cap no one could have seen me, and 
I would not have had to hide in the secret chamber.” 

“ That is true,” answered Jack. “ But thanks 
to me you are safe at any rate, and I think I should 
be rewarded.” 

He then asked the giant to give him the cap, 
the cloak, and the sword, and out of gratitude the 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 


61 


giant agreed right gladly. “ They will be of more 
use to you than to me at any rate,” said the giant, 
“ for when I need them most is the time when I 
forget all about them.” 

Jack took the cap, the cloak, and the sword and 
thanked the giant for the gifts, and at once set out 
after the Prince, whom he found waiting for him 
not far away. 

They now journeyed on until they came to 
another castle where they hoped to spend the 
night. Here they were made welcome, and bidden 
to feast with the noble lady who was the mistress 
there. This lady was, indeed, the very one of 
whom the Prince was in search, but he did not know 
her, and she did not know him because of the spell 
of enchantment that was upon her. 

After the lady, the Prince, and Jack had feasted 
together the lady drew out a precious handkerchief 
and passed it over her lips. “ To-morrow,” said 
she, “ you shall tell me to whom I have given this 
handkerchief in the night. If you cannot tell me 
this, you shall never leave this castle alive.” 

The Prince was greatly troubled when he heard 
these words, but Jack bade him have no fear. 


62 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


He waited until the lady left them, and then he put 
the cap of darkness on his head and followed her, 
and she could not see him because of the cap. 
She did not know that anyone followed her, and 
she went out from the castle and along a path to 
the edge of a wood. There she was met by a tall 
dark man, and because of the cloak of wisdom 
which he wore, Jack knew this man at once as a 
magician. 

The lady gave him the handkerchief. “ That is 
well,” said the magician. “ To-morrow I will 
change this bold Prince into another marble statue 
to adorn my hall. As to his servant I will change 
him into a dog, a fox, or a deer as the fancy strikes 
me” 

“ That you shall not! ” cried Jack, and drawing 
the sword of sharpness he struck the magician’s 
head from his shoulders with one blow. 

At once the lady was freed from the enchant¬ 
ment, and she looked about her like one wakening 
from a dream. She did not know where she was 
nor how she came there. 

Jack led her back to the castle and no sooner 
did the Prince and she meet than they knew each 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 


63 


other. They were filled with joy, and the Prince 
made ready to take her back with him to his 
father’s court. He wished Jack to come with him, 
and promised that if he would he should be made 
a great nobleman, but to this the giant-killer 
would not consent. He still had work to do in his 
own country, and he would never leave Wales 
until it was freed entirely from the pest of giants. 

So the Prince and his lady bade Jack farewell, 
and rode away together, while Jack set out in 
search of further adventures. 

He had traveled a long distance, and night was 
falling when he heard doleful cries sounding from 
a wood near by. A moment later a giant came 
breaking out from the wood dragging a knight and 
a lady with him. He had captured them and was 
taking them with him to his cave. 

Without a moment’s pause, Jack put on his cap 
of darkness, and running up close to the giant he 
cut him down with one single blow of his sword. 
The lady and the knight were amazed. They had 
seen no one, and yet the giant had suddenly fallen 
dead, cleft through with a sword. They were still 
more amazed when Jack lifted the cap from his 


64 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


head and appeared before them. He then ex¬ 
plained to them who he was, and how he had been 
able to kill the giant so strangely. 

“ This is a wonderful story,” said the knight, 
“ and you have saved us from worse than death.” 
He and his lady then begged Jack to come back 
with them to their castle, and to this he agreed,, for 
he was weary with all his adventures. 

When they reached the castle, a great feast was 
made ready, and Jack was treated with the greatest 
honor. He sat at the knight’s right hand, and all 
the best in the castle was none too good for him. 

But while they were still in the midst of their 
feasting, a messenger arrived in great haste. His 
face was pale, and his teeth chattered with fear. 

“ What is it ? ” cried the knight. “ What is the 
news you bring ? ” 

“ The giant! The great giant Thundel!” cried 
the messenger. “ He has heard that Jack-the- 
Giant-Killer is here, and he is coming to destroy 
this castle and all who are in it.” 

Even the knight turned pale at this news, but 
Jack bade him have no fear. “ I had intended to 
set out in search of this giant,” said he, “ but now 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 65 

he has saved me the trouble.” He then asked 
the knight to send for a dozen stout workmen. 
This was done and Jack at once led the workmen 
out to the bridge that crossed the moat, and bade 
them cut the timbers almost through so that they 
would only bear the weight of one man, or of two at 
most. This bridge was the only way of entrance, 
and unless the giant crossed it he could not get 
to the castle. 

While the workmen were still busy over their 
task, the giant appeared, striding along toward 
the castle. At once Jack slipped on his cap of 
darkness and hurried out to meet him. 

The giant could not see Jack because of his 
cap of darkness, but his sense of smell was very 
keen. He stopped short, and began to snuff about 
him like a hound. 

“Fee, fi, fo, fum! 

I smell the blood of an Englishman; 

Be he alive or be he dead, 

PH grind his bones to make my bread! ” 

cried the giant. 

“ That is all very well,” said Jack, “ but first 

5 


66 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


you will have to catch him.” He then jumped 
about from one side of the giant to the other. 
“Here! Here I am!” he cried. “Here to the 
right of you! No, to the left. Quick, quick, if 
you would catch me.” 

The giant turned first one way and then the 
other, clutching at the empty air, for Jack was 
invisible and so was easily able to keep out of 
his reach. 

At last the lad tired of the game. He looked 
behind him and saw that the workmen had finished 
their task and had retreated to the castle. He then 
caught the cap of darkness from his head and ran 
across the bridge. “ Now, you miller-giant, who 
would grind my bones, catch me if you can,” he 
cried. 

The giant gave a bellow of rage and ran after 
Jack, who had already reached the other side. 
The timbers held till the giant was in the middle of 
the bridge; then, with a great crash, they gave way 
beneath him, and down he fell into the moat and 
was drowned. So Jack saved the lives of the 
knight and his lady for the second time, and freed 
the land of still another giant. 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 67 

But now came the most dangerous of all of 
Jack’s adventures. 

Gargantua was the greatest and most powerful 
of all the giants, and he was a magician as well. 
He lived on the top of a high mountain, and from 
there he would come down to rob and steal and 
carry off prisoners. These prisoners he changed 
into various sorts of wild animals, and he kept 
them in the gardens that surrounded his palace. 
He had carried off a duke’s only daughter in this 
way, and had changed her into a doe. 

The duke had been in despair over the loss of his 
daughter for she was his only child and he loved 
her dearly. He promised that anyone who brought 
her back to him should have her for his bride, and 
because she was very beautiful many princes and 
brave heroes had gone in search of her, but of them 
all none had ever returned. 

It was this dangerous giant that Jack determined 
to seek out and destroy. 

He girded the sword of sharpness at his side 
and took his cap of darkness and his cloak of wis¬ 
dom and set out. 

He journeyed on and journeyed on, and after 


68 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


awhile he came to a high and rocky mountain, and 
at the very top of it he could see a great castle with 
gardens around it and high walls. 

Jack climbed up and up over rock and brier, 
stump and stone, until he came to the gate of the 
garden. There he stopped to put the cap of dark¬ 
ness on his head; then he ventured in. 

The gardens were very fine, as he saw at once, 
and many animals were grazing on the grass, or 
resting in the shadows. One of them, a beautiful 
doe, raised its head and looked toward him, 
then at once came over to him and rested it’s 
head on his arm, and looked up at him with it’s 
great dark eyes. 

Jack was very much troubled at this. He feared 
there was some enchantment about the place that 
made him visible in spite of his cap of darkness. 
However, none of the other animals paid any 
attention to him, so he hoped it was only the doe 
that could see him. 

He went on through the gardens until he came 
to the door of the castle, and there hanging beside 
it was a golden horn, and on the horn were these 
words: 


JACK-THE-GIANT-KILLER 


69 


“Whoever doth this trumpet blow 
Shall soon the giant overthrow, 

And break the black enchantment straight, 

So all shall be in happy state.” 

Jack raised the horn to his lips and blew a 
blast so loud and clear that the castle echoed 
with it. 

At once a wonderful change came over the gar¬ 
den. The doe beside him changed into a maiden 
more beautiful than any Jack had ever dreamed of. 
The wild animals became princes and heroes and 
noble ladies. 

As for the castle itself, it fell into ruins; a great 
chasm yawned under it, and into this chasm it 
crumbled with a dreadful noise, carrying the giant 
with it. Then the ground closed over the ruins and 
not a single stone was left to mark the place where 
the castle had stood. 

So ended the last of Jack’s adventures, and so 
perished the last and most wicked of all his giant 
foes. From then on the land was at peace. 

Jack was married to the beautiful maiden who 
had followed him as a doe, and as she was the 
duke’s daughter the poor lad became very rich and 


70 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


powerful. He and the duke’s daughter loved 
each other dearly, and so they lived in great hap¬ 
piness all their lives, honored by everyone about 
them. 



THE THREE WISHES 

Once upon a time a poor man took his ax and 
went out into the forest to cut wood. He was a 
lazy fellow, so as soon as he was in the forest he 
began to look about to see which tree would be the 
easiest to cut down. At last he found one that was 
hollow inside, as he could tell by knocking upon it 
with his ax. “It ought not to take long to cut this 
down,” said he to himself. He raised his ax and 
struck the tree such a blow that the splinters flew. 

At once the bark opened and a little old fairy with 
a long beard came running out of the tree. 

71 





72 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“What do you mean by chopping into my house?” 
he cried; and his eyes shone like red hot sparks, he 
was so angry. 

“ I did not know it was your house,” said the 
man. 

“ Well, it is my house, and I’ll thank you to let 
it alone,” cried the fairy. 

“ Very well,” said the man. “I’d just as lieve 
cut down some other tree. I’ll chop down the one 
over yonder.” 

“ That is well,” said the fairy. “ I see that you 
are an obliging fellow, after all. I have it in my 
mind to reward you for sparing my house, so the 
next three wishes you and your wife make shall 
come true, whatever they are; and that is your 
reward.” 

Then the fairy went back into the tree again and 
pulled the bark together behind him. 

The man stood looking at the tree and scratching 
his head. “ Now that is a curious thing,” said he. 
Then he sat down and began to wonder what he 
should wish for. He thought and he thought, but 
he could decide on nothing. “ I’ll just go home 
and talk it over with my wife,” said he; so he 


THE THREE WISHES 


73 


shouldered his ax, and set off for home. As soon 
as he came in at the door he began to bawl for his 
wife, and she came in a hurry, for she did not know 
what had happened to him. 

He told his story and his wife listened. “ This 
is a fine thing to have happen to us,” said she. 
“ Now we must be very careful what we wish for.” 

They sat down one on each side of the fire to 
talk it over. They thought of ever so many things 
they would like to have—a bag of gold, and a 
coach and four, and a fine house to live in, and fine 
clothes to wear, but nothing seemed just the right 
thing to choose. 

They talked so long that they grew hungry. 
“Well, here we sit,” said the man, “ and not a thing 
cooked for dinner. I wish we had one of those fine 
black puddings you used to make.” 

No sooner had he spoken than there was a great 
thumping and bumping in the chimney and a great 
black pudding fell down on the hearth before him. 

“ What is this ? ” cried the man staring. 

“ Oh, you oaf! you stupid! ” shrieked his wife. 
“ It’s the pudding you wished for. There’s one 
of our wishes wasted. I wish the pudding were 


74 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


stuck on the end of your nose! It would serve you 
right! ” 

The moment she said this the pudding flew up 
and stuck to the man’s nose, and there it was and 
he couldn’t get it off; the man pulled and tugged, 
and his wife pulled and tugged, but it was all ot no 
use. 

“ Well, there’s no help for it,” said the husband; 
“ we’ll have to wish it off again.” 

His wife begun to cry and bawl. “ No, no,” 
she cried. “ We only have one wish left, and we 
can’t waste it that way. Let’s wish ourselves the 
richest people in the world.” 

But to this the man would not agree. He 
wanted the pudding off his nose whatever it cost. 
So at last the wife was obliged to let him have his 
own way. “ I wish the pudding was off my nose 
again,” said the man, and that was the third of 
their wishes. So all the good they had of the 
fairy’s gift was a black pudding for dinner; but 
then it was the best black pudding they had ever 
eaten. “And after all,” said the man, “there’s 
nothing much better in the world to wish for than 
a full stomach.” 













.* 







Ube (Boose (Birl 




> 

































THE GOOSE GIRL 


There was once a beautiful young Princess who 
had been promised in marriage to the Prince of a 
far country. 

When the time for the marriage came she made 
ready to journey to his country, for it was there 
that the wedding was to be celebrated, and not in 
her own land. 

Her mother furnished her with all sorts of grand 
jewels and beautiful clothes to carry with her, and 
furniture and linens, and she also made her a 
present of a wonderful horse named Falada, that 
could talk. 

Just before the Princess was ready to set out, her 
mother called her to her, and made a little cut in her 
finger, and allowed three drops of blood to fall upon 
a handkerchief. 

“ Here, my child, take this with you,” said the 
Queen; “put it in the bosom of your dress, and 
guard it carefully. It is a charm, and as long as 

77 


78 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

you have it no evil of any kind can have power over 
you.” 

The Princess thanked her mother, and put the 
handkerchief in the bosom of her dress as she was 
told. Then she kissed the Queen tenderly, and 
bade her farewell, and set out upon the journey 
with her waiting-maid riding beside her. 

Now this waiting-maid, who rode with the 
Princess, had a very bad heart. She was both 
sly and deceitful. She pretended to the Queen 
that she loved the Princess dearly, but all the 
while she hated and envied her, and would have 
been glad enough to do her an ill turn. 

She and the Princess journeyed on together for 
some time, and the sun shone bright and hot 
and the road was dusty, so the Princess became 
very thirsty. Presently they came to a stream, and 
there the Princess drew rein, and said to the wait¬ 
ing-maid, “ Light down, I pray of you, and fill my 
little golden cup that I may drink, for I am thirsty.” 

But the waiting-maid scowled and answered 
rudely, “ Light down yourself, and drink from the 
stream, if you are thirsty. I am tired of serving 
you.” 


THE GOOSE GIRL 


79 


The Princess was very much surprised at being 
answered in such a manner. However, she was 
young and timid, and without more words she 
slipped from her horse, and as she was afraid to 
ask for the cup, which the waiting-maid carried, 
she stooped over and drank from the brook as it 
rippled over its stones. 

As she did so the drops of blood upon the 
handkerchief said to her:— 

“ If thy mother knew thy fate 
Then her heart would surely break.” 

The Princess made no answer, but having 
quenched her thirst she mounted her horse again 
and rode forward, and presently forgot her maid’s 
rudeness. 

After awhile they reached another stream, and 
as the Princess was again thirsty, she said to the 
waiting-maid, “ Light down, I pray you, and fill 
my cup with water, that I may drink.” 

But the waiting-maid answered even more rudely 
than before, “ No, I will not; get down and get the 
water for yourself, for I will serve you no more.” 

The Princess slipped from her horse, sighing 


8 o 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


deeply, and as she bent over the stream the three 
drops of blood said to her : 

“ If thy mother knew thy fate, 

Then her heart would surely break.” 

The Princess made no answer, but as she stooped 
still lower to drink the handkerchief slipped from 
her bosom and floated away on the stream, but the 
Princess did not notice this because her eyes were 
full of tears. The waiting-maid noticed it, how¬ 
ever, and her heart was filled with joy, because 
now the Princess had nothing to protect her, and 
the wicked servant could do with her as she chose. 

When the Princess arose and was about to mount 
Falada the waiting-maid said to her, “ Wait a bit! 
I am tired of acting as your servant. Now, we will 
try it the other way around. Give me your fine 
clothes, and you can dress yourself in these com¬ 
mon things I am wearing.” 

The Princess was afraid to refuse; she gave the 
waiting-maid her beautiful dress and her jewels, 
and dressed herself in the common clothes. 

Again she was about to mount Falada, but again 
the waiting-maid bade her stay; “You shall ride 


THE GOOSE GIRL 


81 


my horse,” said she, “ and I will ride Falada.” 
As she said so it was done. The waiting-maid also 
made the Princess swear that she would tell 
no living soul who she was. The Princess dared 
not refuse for fear of her life. But Falada made no 
such promise, and he had seen and heard all that 
had happened. 

When they rode on again the waiting-maid was 
in front, dressed in the fine clothes and mounted 
on Falada, and the Princess came behind on the 
waiting-maid’s horse, and she was dressed in the 
common clothes, but even so she was far more 
beautiful than the servant. 

They reached the palace, and the Prince came 
out to meet his bride. He lifted down the waiting- 
maid from Falada, for he thought she was the 
Princess, and he led her up the grand stairway and 
into the room where the King sat, but the Princess 
was left below in the courtyard, and no one paid 
any attention to her. 

The King was surprised when he saw the waiting- 
maid, for he supposed her to be the Princess, and 
he had expected her to be much more beautiful. 
However, he said nothing about it to anyone, but 


82 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


made her welcome. Presently he happened to 
look out of the window, and there he saw the true 
Princess down below. “ Who is that standing 
in the courtyard?” he asked, for he saw at once 
that she was very beautiful, and he was curious 
about it. 

“ Oh, that is only my waiting-maid,” answered 
the false bride carelessly. “ I wish you would give 
her some work to do so that she may not be spoiled 
by idleness.” 

“ I do not know what she can do except take 
care of the geese,” answered the King. “ Conrad, 
who is the goose-herd, is only a boy, and he would 
be glad of help in caring for them.” 

“Very well; then let her be a goose-herd,” 
answered the false bride. 

So the Princess went out in the field to help tend 
the geese, and the waiting-maid lived in the palace, 
and was treated to all that was best there. But 
the Prince was not happy, for his bride was rude 
and ill-tempered, and he could not love her. 

One day the false bride said to the Prince, “ I 
wish you would have Falada’s head cut off. I am 
weary of him, and besides he stumbles when I 


THE GOOSE GIRL 83 

ride him.” But really she feared Falada might 
speak and tell all he had seen. 

The Prince was shocked. “ Why should you 
kill a horse that is so beautiful and gentle?” he 
asked. 

“ Because, as I tell you, I do not like him,” an¬ 
swered the waiting-maid. “ Besides the horse is 
mine, and I can do as I like with him. If you 
refuse to have this done I shall know very well 
that it is because you do not love me.” 

The Prince dared refuse no longer. He sent 
for a man and had Falada’s head cut off. 

When the true Princess heard this she wept 
bitterly. She sent for the man and offered him a 
piece of gold if he would bring Falada’s head and 
nail it up over the gateway through which she 
passed every morning. 

The man was anxious to have the gold. He 
took the money and nailed Falada’s head up over 
the gateway where the Princess wished it put. 

The next morning as the Princess and Conrad 
drove the geese out to pasture she looked up at 
Falada and said: 

“ Ah, Falada, that thou shouldst hang there!” 


84 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

And Falada answered: 

“ Ah, Princess, that thou shouldst pass here! 

If thy mother knew thy fate, 

Then her heart would surely break! ” 

The little goose-herd stared and wondered 
to hear this talk between the goose-girl and 
the horse’s head, but he said nothing. He and the 
Princess went on out to the meadows driving the 
geese before them, and when they were far off in 
the meadows where no one could see, the Princess 
sat down and unbound her golden hair, so that it 
fell all about her in a shower, and began to comb it. 

Conrad had never seen anything so beautiful in 
all his life before, for her hair shone and glittered 
in the sunshine until it was enough to dazzle one. 
He longed to have just one thread of it to keep, so 
he crept up behind the Princess, meaning to steal 
one. But the Princess knew what he was about. 
Just as he reached out his hand she sang: 

“ Blow, wind, blow! 

Blow Conrad’s hat away. 

It is rolling! Do not stay 
Till I have combed my hair 
And tied it up again.” 


THE GOOSE GIRL 


85 


At once the wind caught Conrad’s hat from his 
head and sent it flying and rolling across the mead¬ 
ows, and Conrad was obliged to run after it or he 
would have lost it. 

By the time he came back again with the hat 
the Princess had combed her hair and fastened it 
up under her cap so that not a thread of it could be 
seen. 

Conrad was very cross when he went home with 
the Princess that evening. He would not speak a 
word to her. 

The next morning when they started out with the 
geese they passed under the gateway as usual, and 
the Princess looked up and said : 

“ Ah, Falada, that thou shouldst hang there!” 
And the head answered: 

“ Ah, Princess, that thou shouldst pass here! 

If thy mother knew thy fate, 

Then her heart would surely break.” 

Conrad listened and wondered, but said nothing. 

When they reached the meadow the Princess let 
down her hair as before and began to comb it. It 


86 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


looked so beautiful and glittering and bright that 
Conrad felt he must have a hair of it. He crept up 
behind her and then, just as he was about to seize 
it, the Princess sang: 

“ Blow, wind, blow! 

Blow Conrad’s hat away. 

It is rolling! Do not stay 
Till I have combed my hair 
And tied it up again.” 

At once the wind whirled Conrad’s hat away 
across the meadows, and he had to run after it to 
catch it. 

When he came back he was so sulky that he would 
not even look at the Princess, but already she had 
her hair combed and fastened up under her cap. 

That evening the goose-herd went to the King 
and said, “ I do not wish that girl to go out to the 
meadows with me any more. I would rather take 
care of the geese by myself.” 

“ Why ? ” asked the King. “ What is the matter 
with her ? ” 

“ Oh, she vexes me, and she has strange ways 
that I cannot understand.” 


THE GOOSE GIRL 


87 


“ What ways ?” asked the King. 

Then Conrad told him how every day as he and 
the girl passed through the gateway she would look 
up at the horsed head and say: 

“ Ah, Falada, that thou shouldst hang there ! 99 
And how the head would answer: 

“ Ah, Princess that thou shouldst pass here! 

If thy mother knew thy fate, 

Then her heart would surely break.” 

“ I do not like such strange ways,” said Conrad. 

The King looked thoughtful and stroked his 
beard. Then he told Conrad not to say anything 
about this matter to anyone. “ I myself,” said he, 
“ will watch by the gateway to-morrow morning, 
for I wish to hear for myself exactly what passes 
between the girl and Falada.” 

So the next morning very early the King hid him¬ 
self in the shadow beside the gateway, and pres¬ 
ently the Princess and Conrad came along driving 
the geese before them. 

As they reached the gateway the Princess looked 
up and sighed: 


88 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

“ Ah, Falada, that thou shouldst hang there ! ” 

And the head answered: 

“ Ah, Princess, that thou shouldst pass here! 

If thy mother knew thy fate, 

Then her heart would surely break.” 

After they had spoken thus the King stepped 
out from the shadow and called to the Princess. 
“ What is the meaning of these words? ” asked he. 
“ Who are you, and what is your story ? ” 

The Princess began to weep. “ Alas, I cannot 
answer,” said she, “ for I have sworn that I would 
not tell a single living soul.” 

“ Very well,” said the King, “ if you have sworn, 
then you must keep your oath; but to-night, after 
all the servants have left the bakehouse go and 
tell your story to the great oven that is there.” 

This the Princess promised she would do. So 
that night, when she came home, she went into the 
bakehouse and looked about her. She saw no 
one, and she thought she was alone there, but 
the King had hidden himself inside the oven, 
though she did not know it. 


THE GOOSE GIRL 


89 


Then the Princess began to tell her story to the 
oven. She told how she had left home with her 
false-hearted waiting-maid. She told of how she 
had lost the kerchief with the drops of blood upon it, 
and how the waiting-maid had made her exchange 
clothing with her and dress herself as a servant; 
and she told how she had been forced to swear 
that she would not tell all this to a living soul. All, 
the whole story, she told to the bake-oven, and the 
King sat inside of it and listened and understood. 

When she had made an end of speaking the 
King came out and took her by the hand. “ You 
have been very cruelly treated,” said he, “ but 
now your sorrows are over.” 

He then led the Princess into the palace, and 
she was dressed in the richest clothes that were 
there, and when this was done she was as beauti¬ 
ful as the moon when the clouds drift over it. 

The King sent for the Prince, and when he saw 
the Princess he was filled with joy and love, and he 
knew at once that this must be his true bride. 

He and the King planned together as to how the 
false bride should be punished. And this is what 
was done: 


90 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


A grand feast and entertainment were arranged. 
The Prince sat upon a high seat with the false bride 
upon one hand and the true bride upon the other. 
But the false bride was so dazzled by all the splen¬ 
dor, and by her own pride that she did not even 
see the Princess. 

Everyone ate and drank to his heart’s content, 
and then the King began asking riddles. After the 
riddles he said he would tell the guests a story, 
and the story he told was that of the Princess and 
the waiting-maid, and still the false bride was too 
dazzled by her own splendor to understand the 
story. 

When he had finished the story the King asked, 
“ What should be the punishment of such a false 
servant as that ? ” 

Then the false bride cried boldly, “ She should 
be taken to a high cliff and thrown over into the 
sea.” 

“ So shall it be,” cried the King sternly, “ for 
you yourself are that false servant, and here sits 
the true bride whom you have wronged.” 

Then the waiting-maid understood what she had 
done, and she was filled with terror. But the 


THE GOOSE GIRL 


9 i 


Princess had pity on her, and begged for mercy 
for her. So the waiting-maid was not thrown into 
the sea, but her fine clothes were stripped from 
her, and she was driven out to beg her way 
through the world. 

Then the Prince and Princess were married and 
lived happily ever after, and Falada’s head was 
taken down and placed upon his body and he 
came to life again and lived for many years in the 
castle stable, and the Princess loved him dearly. 



THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG 

One time a little old woman was sweeping her 
room, and she found in the corner a bright silver 
shilling. “There!” said the old woman, “Now 
I can buy that little pig I have been wanting for 
such a long time.” 

She finished her sweeping in a hurry and put 
on her bonnet and her shawl and started off to 
market to buy her pig, and she carried a tin pail 
with her so she could gather blackberries along 
the way. 

The bushes were fairly loaded down with berries, 
so it did not take her long to fill her pail, and after 
that she got to market in no time. 

At first she could not find just the pig she wanted. 
Some were too little and some were too big; some 
were too fat and some were too thin. But at last 
she found just exactly the right pig; it was round 
and pink and it had one black ear, and the curliest 
tail there was in the market. She paid just exactly 


92 


LITTLE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG 93 


a shilling for it, and then she tied a rope around its 
hind leg and started home with it, driving it before 
her, and carrying the pail of blackberries on her arm. 

At first all went well. The little pig trotted 
quietly along, and the sun shone, and the birds 
sang, and the little white clouds floated across the 
sky. But presently they came to a stile, and the 
pig did not want to go over it. Now, there was no 
way to go round, and no way to get home except 
over this stile. 

“ Go on, piggy,” said the old woman, shaking the 
rope. But piggy wouldn’t go on. The old woman 
tried to drive him, and he wouldn’t go, and then 
she tried to lead him, and then she coaxed him and 
talked to him, but he just wouldn't go over the stile. 

At last the old woman quite lost patience with 
him. She saw a dog trotting along the road, and 
she called to him. “ Here! here, good dog; come 
and bite piggy, for I can’t make pig go over the 
stile, and at this rate I won’t get home till midnight 
with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.” 

The dog stopped and looked at her and looked 
at the pig, but he would not bite it. 

Close by a stick lay in the road, and the woman 


94 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


called to it (and she was quite cross by this time). 
“Stick, stick, beat dog; dog won’t bite pig, pig 



THE PIG WOULD NOT GO OVER THE STILE 


won’t go over the stile, and at this rate I shan’t get 
home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe 
blackberries.” 


LITTLE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG 95 

But the stick wouldn’t. It lay there quietly in 
the road just as though she hadn’t spoken to it. 

Over in the field a fire was burning, and the 
old woman called to it, “Fire, fire, burn stick; 
stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t 
go over the stile, and at this rate I won’t get home 
till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.” 

But the fire wouldn’t. 

Then the old woman called to a brook near by, 
“ Water, water, quench fire; fire won’t burn stick, 
stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t 
go over the stile, and I shan’t get home till mid¬ 
night with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.” 

But the brook wouldn’t. 

She saw an ox over in the field. “ Ox, ox,” she 
cried, “ drink water; water won’t quench fire, fire 
won’t bum stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t 
bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t 
get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe 
blackberries.” 

But the ox wouldn’t. 

She saw a butcher riding along the road, and she 
called to him “ Butcher, butcher, kill ox; ox won’t 
drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t 


96 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite 
pig, won’t go over the stile, and I won’t get 
home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe black¬ 
berries.” 

But the butcher wouldn’t. 

There was a piece of rope twisted about the 
fence. “ Rope, rope,” she cried, “ hang butcher; 
butcher won’t kill ox, ox won’t drink water, water 
won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t 
beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the 
stile, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my 
pail of fine ripe blackberries.” 

But the rope wouldn’t. 

Then she called to a rat that lived in a hole 
under the stile, “ Rat, rat, gnaw rope; rope won’t 
hang butcher, butcher won’t kill ox, ox won’t 
drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t 
bum stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, 
pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t get home 
till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.” 

But the rat wouldn’t. 

A cat was sitting on a gate-post. “ Puss, puss, 
catch rat,” called the old woman. “ Rat won’t 
gnaw rope, rope won’t hang butcher, butcher won’t 


LITTLE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG 97 

kill ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench 
fire, fire won’t bum stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog 
won’t bite pig, and I shan’t get home till midnight 
with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.” 

“ No,” answered puss, “lam very comfortable 
sitting here. Why should I disturb myself just to 
please you. But if you will get the red cow to give 
you a saucerful of milk for me then I will catch 
the rat.” 

So the little old woman tied the pig to the stile, 
and then she climbed over the fence into the field 
where the red cow was standing. 

“ Please, good cow, give me a saucerful of milk 
for puss,” she said, “ so that puss will catch the rat 
that won’t gnaw the rope that won’t hang the 
butcher who won’t kill the ox that won’t drink the 
water that won’t quench the fire that won’t burn the 
Stick that won’t beat the dog that won’t bite the pig 
that won’t go over the stile so that 1 can get home 
before midnight with my pail of fine ripe black¬ 
berries.” 

Said the cow, “ If you will go over yonder to 
where the haymakers are working and fetch me a 
wisp of hay to eat, then I will give you the milk.” 


98 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


So the little old woman went over to the hay¬ 
makers and said, “ Please, good kind haymakers, 
give me a wisp of hay to give to the cow so that 
she may give me some milk to give to the cat.” 

The haymakers were very hot and thirsty and 
they said, “ Very well; if you will go down to the 
stream and fetch us a pailful of water we will give 
you the hay.” 

So the little old woman emptied out her black¬ 
berries on the ground very carefully and then she 
hurried down to the stream and brought back to 
the haymakers a pailful of fresh cool water. 

The haymakers drank deep of it and then they 
gave the little old woman all the hay she wanted. 
She put the blackberries back in the pail and hur¬ 
ried back to the cow with the hay. 

The cow gladly gave her a saucerful of milk in 
return for the hay. 

The old woman took the milk to the cat, and 
while puss was drinking it the old woman untied 
the rope that fastened the pig to the stile. 

Puss finished the milk and licked up the last 
drop of it, and then she bounded down beside the 
stile and began to catch the rat. 


LITTLE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG 99 

The rat squeaked with terror and began to 
gnaw the rope. 

The rope began to hang the butcher, the butcher 
began to kill the ox, the ox began to drink the 
water, the water began to quench the fire, the fire 
began to burn the stick, the stick began to beat the 
dog, the dog began to bite the pig, and the pig 
squealed at the top of its lungs and scrambled 
over the stile and ran for home so fast that the 
little old woman could hardly keep up with it. 

They got home in less than no time; it wasn’t 
even midday, and the little old woman had her 
blackberries for dinner, and what was left over she 
gave to the pig. 


THE WHITE CAT 


There was once a king who had three sons, 
and he loved them all so tenderly that each one 
was dearer to him than the others. He loved them 
all so well that he could not make up his mind to 
which one to leave his kingdom. He thought and 
thought, and then he called his wise old councilor 
to him and asked his advice. 

“ Your Majesty,” said the Councilor, you love all 
three of the princes equally, and so my advice 
is to leave the kingdom to the one who loves you 
best.” 

“ But I do not know which one loves me best,” 
said the King. 

“ Then set them three tasks. The one who 
performs the tasks the best, and who takes the 
most trouble to please you,—he must be the one 
who bears you the most love.” 

This advice pleased the King, and he sent for his 
three sons, and told them what he had decided to 


IOO 


THE WHITE CAT 


IOI 


do. “ I have,” said he, “ a great wish for a little 
dog to amuse me. I will give you a year in which 
to find me the smallest and prettiest little dog in 
the world. Whichever of you will bring me such 
a dog shall receive a third of my kingdom.” 

As soon as the princes heard this they were eager 
to set out in search of such a dog. The two older 
brothers were sure one of them would find it, for 
they did not think much of their younger brother. 
Each one rode away to a great city, and went to 
the best dog dealers there. The eldest son 
bought a little white dog no larger than a small 
kitten, and very pretty and playful. The second 
son bought a red dog so small it could curl up in 
the palm of his hand. Each was content with his 
choice, and rode home without searching further. 

The King was delighted with the dogs they 
brought, and his sons wished him to decide at once 
as to which of them deserved the kingdom, but 
this the King would not do. “ No, no,” said he, 
“ we must wait until your brother comes. He can 
hardly find another dog as pretty as these, but still 
it is only right to wait until he returns, or until the 
year is up.” 


102 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Meanwhile the youngest prince had ridden 
on and on, much farther than either of his other 
brothers. Everywhere he asked for dogs, and hun¬ 
dreds of them were brought to him, big and little, 
fat and thin, black and white, and gray and red 
and yellow. But not one of them was what the 
Prince wanted. 

At last one day he came to a deep forest. A 
storm had risen; the Prince was wet to the skin 
with rain, and covered with mud. He saw a light 
before him shining through the trees, and he rode 
toward it. He hoped he might find there some 
shelter for the night. 

What was his surprise, as he drew near the light, 
to see it came from a magnificent palace that had 
been built here in the deep forest far away from any 
city. The Prince knocked at the door and at once it 
opened before him. He went in and looked about 
him, but he saw no one, though invisible hands 
closed the door behind him. An unseen hand took 
his and he was led through several rooms to a 
handsome chamber that seemed to have been 
made ready for him. His wet and muddy clothes 
were removed and he was dressed in a suit of 


THE WHITE CAT 


103 

white and silver; but with all this he still saw no 
one. 

He was then led to a banquet hall where a fine 
feast was laid out. 

Suddenly, while the Prince stood looking about 
him there was a sound of trumpets; the doors 
opposite to him swung open, and a strange proces¬ 
sion marched into the room. First, walking up¬ 
right came a small and very pretty white cat. She 
was dressed all in black, and wore a long black 
veil, and an ebony crown. She was followed 
by other cats. Some of these were dressed as 
ladies-in-waiting, some as courtiers, and some as 
trumpeters. 

The White Cat came up to the Prince and bade 
him welcome. “ I saw you as you rode through 
the forest,” she said, “ and this feast was made 
ready for you. Come, Prince, let us take our 
places at the table and eat.” 

The cat then seated herself at the head of the 
table and motioned the Prince to sit beside her. 

Unseen hands at once served them with the 
most rare and delicious dishes. The cat ate 
daintily, and the Prince noticed that she touched 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


104 

nothing but some oddly cooked birds, and some 
cream. 

He himself was hungry and ate of everything, 
and while he ate the White Cat talked to him with 
so much sense and wit that he was delighted with 
her. 

After supper the White Cat left him and he was 
led by invisible hands to a magnificent chamber, 
where he spent the night. 

The next morning when he awoke he found a 
hunting-suit of green laid out for him, and high 
riding-boots and a plumed hat. Unseen hands 
dressed him, and food was served to him in a 
breakfast-room hung about with curtains of satin 
embroidered with gold. 

After he had eaten, the Prince went in search 
of the White Cat. He found her in the court¬ 
yard. She and her attendants and several cats 
dressed as huntsmen were about to set out on a 
hunt. She invited the Prince to go with them, 
and he gladly accepted. 

A troop of monkeys all saddled and bridled were 
led up to the palace steps. The Prince looked on 
in wonder while the White Cat sprang upon the 


THE WHITE CAT 


105 



THE PRINCE GOES HUNTING WITH THE WHITE CAT 


back of the largest and finest monkey. The other 
cats also mounted, but as the Prince was too large 
to ride a monkey a large wooden horse on wheels 





io6 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

was brought for him to ride. This seemed so ab¬ 
surd to the Prince that he was about to refuse, 
but the White Cat motioned him to it so politely 
that he was ashamed to say no. He sprang to the 
back of the wooden steed, and at once he felt it 
move and stir under him as though it were alive. 
The cat-huntsmen sounded their horns, and away 
the hunting-party went. The White Cat and the 
Prince rode first, and the Prince found the wooden 
horse rolled along so smoothly and swiftly that 
nothing could have been pleasanter. 

The day was spent in hunting through the forest, 
and in the evening there was another grand feast 
at the palace, this time with music and dancing. 
The dancers were six large black cats dressed in 
spangled clothes, and their leaps and bounds 
and twirlings were wonderful. The Prince had 
never been so well amused in his life before. 

Day after day slipped by, and still the Prince 
stayed at the White Cat’s palace, and he was so 
happy there that he quite forgot his father and 
the kingdom he had hoped to win. The year had 
passed, all but three days, when suddenly the 
Prince remembered his errand. He was filled 


THE WHITE CAT 


107 


with dismay, for now it was too late for him to 
seek for a little dog, and he feared he had lost all 
chance of winning the kingdom. 

But the White Cat saw his trouble. “ Do not 
be dismayed, Prince,” she said. “ I know the 
errand that brought you here, and I am ready to 
help you.” She then handed him an acorn. 
“ Here,” she said, “ take this and you will find 
in it the thing you seek.” 

The Prince thought the cat was mocking him, 
but she bade him put the acorn to his ear and 
listen. When he did this he could hear from 
within the acorn a sound of barking as thin and 
small as the squeaking of a mouse. 

“ Do not open it until you reach home,” said the 
White Cat. “ Then, when your father sees what 
is inside of it he will know that you are the one who 
deserves the kingdom.” 

The Prince thanked the cat, and mounted his 
own horse, which had been brought from the 
stables, and rode on home. Just before he 
reached his fathers palace he bought an ugly dog 
from a beggar, and took it with him. 

When he entered the palace he went at once 


io8 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


to the room where his father sat upon his throne 
with his two elder sons by him. 

When the two princes saw their younger brother 
enter the court with the ugly dog at his heels they 
laughed aloud with scorn. They felt very sure 
that now the kingdom would belong to them. 

The King was very much offended. He spoke 
to the young Prince harshly. “ Why do you bring 
such an ugly cur to my court ? ” he asked. “ Have 
you no more respect for my wishes than to present 
me with such a dog as that ? ” 

The Prince, however, answered gently, “ Dear 
father, have patience for a moment and I may offer 
you something that will please you better.” 

He then drew out the acorn and opened it. 
Inside it was a tiny satin cushion, and upon this 
cushion lay a dog so small and so exquisite that the 
King was filled with wonder. He could scarcely 
believe his eyes. 

“ Truly you deserve to have the .kingdom at 
once,” cried he, “ but I have promised that there 
shall be three trials before I give the kingdom to 
any one of you.” 

The King then told the princes that he wished 


THE WHITE CAT 


109 


them to bring him a piece of muslin so fine and 
delicate that it could be drawn through the eye of 
a needle. Whichever one succeeded best should 
receive at least a part of the kingdom. 

The three princes at once set out on this new 
errand. The elder brothers sought out the dealers 
in great cities as before, but the youngest Prince 
rode straight to the castle of the White Cat. 

The cat received him kindly. “ I know what 
is required of you,” she said. “ Do not trouble 
yourself in the matter. Stay here with me, and 
when the proper time arrives you shall have what 
is needed.” 

So the Prince stayed there in the White Cat’s 
palace for a year, all but three days, and the time 
passed even more pleasantly than before. At the 
end of that time the White Cat gave a walnut to 
the Prince. “ Take this,” she said, “ and do not 
open it until you are at home again. Within it 
you will find what you desire.” 

The Prince took the walnut and rode away. When 
he reached the court his brothers were already 
there. Each had brought with him a piece of mus¬ 
lin so fine that it would pass through the eye of a 


no 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


darning-needle, but they could not draw it through 
the eye of a cambric needle. 

Then the third Prince took out the walnut and 
cracked it. Within it he expected to see a piece of 
muslin, but instead he found only a hazel-nut. 
He cracked the hazel-nut and inside of it was a 
cherry-stone. He cracked the .cherry-stone and 
inside of it was a grain of wheat. The Prince 
began to fear the White Cat had deceived him, and 
that he must lose the kingdom. As for his brothers, 
they laughed aloud and mocked at him. 

“ What trick is this that you are playing on us ? ” 
they asked. “ If you have the muslin show it to us, 
and if not then confess to our father that you have 
failed.” 

Without answering, the Prince cracked the grain 
of wheat, and inside it was a millet-seed. His 
heart sank. However, he cracked the millet seed, 
and there was the piece of muslin the cat had 
promised to him. He shook it out and there were 
ells and ells of it and all as fine as gossamer. 
Never had such a piece of cloth been seen before. 
The King looked and wondered and admired. The 
muslin was so fine it could be drawn not only 


THE WHITE CAT 


hi 


through the eye of a darning-needle, but through 
the eye of a cambric needle as well. 

“ This is a wonderful piece of cloth,” said the 
King to the young Prince. “ You have indeed 
again deserved the kingdom, but there is one more 
task to be performed before I can give it to anyone. 
I wish you to bring to me the most beautiful princess 
in the world. Whichever of you can do this shall 
receive at least a half of the kingdom.” 

When the elder brothers heard this they were in 
haste to set out. The youngest brother had already 
brought to their father the smallest and prettiest 
dog in the world, and the finest piece of muslin, but 
with good luck one of them might still bring to 
him the most beautiful princess. They journeyed 
away to far kingdoms where there were princesses 
who were famed for their beauty; but the youngest 
prince rode no place at all but to the palace of the 
White Cat. 

The cat welcomed him even more kindly than 
before. “I know what you have come to seek,” 
said she. “ This matter is not so easy as the 
others were. But do not be downhearted. I will 
help you when the proper time comes.” 


II2 


MOTHER'S NURSERY TALES 


Again the days passed pleasantly in the White 
Cat's castle, and the Prince was well content to 
stay there. He was so happy that a whole year* all 
but a day, slipped by before he thought about it. 
Then one morning he awoke, and remembered 
that the next day he must be back at the King's 
palace with the most beautiful princess in the 
world, if he were to win the kingdom. “ Alas, 
alas!'' he cried. “ The kingdom is certainly lost 
to me. I have no time left to seek for a princess, 
and moreover it is a three days’ journey back to 
the palace. Before I reach there the kingdom will 
certainly have been divided between my brothers." 

“ Have I not promised to help you ? " asked the 
cat. “ Why do you trouble yourself ? If you do 
exactly as I tell you the kingdom will be yours; and 
not that kingdom only, but others beside." 

The cat then told the Prince to draw his sword 
and cut off her head, but the Prince refused to do 
such an act. He was filled with horror at the bare 
thought of it. 

The White Cat began to weep bitterly. “ What 
have I not done for you ? " she cried; “ and you will 
not do even this one thing for me." 


THE WHITE CAT 


ii3 

She wept and lamented so bitterly that at last 
the Prince could refuse no longer. He drew his 
sword to cut off the cat’s head, but at the same time 
he closed his eyes that he might not see the cruel 
deed. 

When he opened his eyes again what was his 
wonder to see no cat, but a beautiful princess who 
stood before him smiling. Never had he seen 
such beauty before. 

“ Prince,” said the Princess, “ you have saved 
me from a cruel fate. I was taken by the fairies 
when I was a baby and lived with them as a daugh¬ 
ter until I grew up. Then I made them angry 
because I would not marry a very rich and ugly 
dwarf who was a friend of theirs. They then 
changed me and all my companions into cats, and 
we were obliged to live in these shapes until some 
young and kind-hearted prince would cut off my 
head. This you have done, and now we are all re¬ 
stored to our proper shapes again. This shows 
me that the fairies have forgiven me and will give 
me back the two kingdoms that were mine by 
rights.” 

The Princess, a cat no longer, then ordered the 


MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


114 

wooden horse to be brought to the door. She and 
the Prince mounted upon it, and away they went, 
so fast that the wind whistled past their ears. 
The three day’s journey was made in less than a 
day, and when the Prince led the Princess into 
court, everyone was obliged to own that now he 
had indeed fairly won the kingdom. His two 
brothers had also brought home with them beauti¬ 
ful princesses, but neither could compare in beauty 
with the bride of the youngest Prince; for his bride 
she had promised to be. 

As soon as a feast could be prepared, she and 
the young Prince were married. 

As the Princess had already two kingdoms of 
her own she begged the old King to divide his 
kingdom between his two elder sons. This was 
done, the older princes were married to the 
beauties they had brought home with them, and 
they all lived in love and happiness forever after. 


BRITTLE-LEGS 


There was once a man who was such a boaster 
that scarcely a word he said was true. One day 
he was talking with some companions and he said, 
“ I have no need to work or worry over anything. 
I could be richer than the King himself if I chose, 
for I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold.” 

A nobleman who was passing by overheard this, 
and he went to the King and repeated to him what 
the man had said. 

Now the King of that country was very fond of 
gold; he never could have enough of it. He at 
once sent to the boaster’s house and had him and 
his daughter brought to the palace. They were 
brought to where the King sat, and the King said, 
“ I hear that you have boasted that your daughter 
can spin straw into gold. Is that true ? ” 

The man was very much frightened when he 
heard this, but he was afraid to deny what he had 
already said. 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


116 

“ Yes, your majesty, that is what I said,” he 
answered. 

“ Very well,” said the King. “ We shall soon 
know whether you have spoken the truth or not. I 
have had a large room made ready for your daugh¬ 
ter. It is filled with straw. I will have her taken 
to it, and if she spins it into gold you shall be well 
rewarded, but if she fails you shall both be pun¬ 
ished severely.” 

Both the father and daughter were terrified at 
these words. They did not know what would 
become of them. The boaster was allowed to go 
home, but the girl was taken to a large room filled 
with straw, and was left there. She sat and cried 
and cried. 

Presently the door opened and a crooked little 
brown dwarf came into the room. 

“ Tut, tut, what a noise,” said he. “ Why are 
you crying so bitterly.” 

“Iam crying because the King has put me here 
to spin this straw into gold, and I do not know how 
to set about it.” 

“ That should not be such a hard matter. What 
will you give me if I do it for you ? ” 


BRITTLE-LEGS 


117 

“ This necklace around my neck,” said the girl. 

“ Very well, give it to me.” The dwarf took the 
necklace and sat down to the spinning wheel, and it 
did not take him long to spin all the straw into 
gold—heaps and heaps of it. Then he hopped 
away, and no one saw him come or go but the girl. 

Early the next morning the King came to see how 
the girl was getting on. When he saw the room 
full of glittering gold instead of straw he was 
filled with joy and wonder. But for all that he was 
not satisfied. He led the girl into a still larger 
room, and it, too, was full of straw. 

“ You have done very well,” said he, “ but I 
expect you to do still better. Spin this straw into 
gold for me and the reward shall not be lacking.” 
Then he went away, leaving the girl alone. 

She sat and cried and cried. 

Presently the door opened, and the same little 
dwarf came hopping into the room. 

“ What will you give me,” said he, “ if I spin this 
straw into gold for you ? ” 

“ I will give you the gold ring from my finger,” 
answered the girl. 

The dwarf sat down at the spinning wheel, and 


118 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

soon all the straw was spun into gold. Then the 
dwarf took the ring from the girl’s finger and went 
away. 

The next day, when the King came and saw all 
the gold he was even more delighted than before. 
He was now as rich as any emperor, but even yet 
he was not content. He took the girl into a still 
larger room, and it, like the others, was full of straw. 

“ If you will spin this, too, into gold, then you 
shall be my bride,” said he. 

The King had scarcely left her before the dwarf 
came hopping into the room. “ Well,” said he, 
“ what will you give me this time if I spin the straw 
into gold for you? ” 

“ Alas, alas!” cried the girl, “I have nothing 
more to give.” 

“ Promise me that if the King marries you, you 
will give me your first child, and I will help you,” 
said the dwarf. 

At first the girl did not want to promise this, but 
then she thought that after all it was very unlikely 
the King would marry her, and even if he did she 
might never have a child. “ Very well, ” said she, 
“ I promise.” 


BRITTLE-LEGS 


119 

The dwarf laughed aloud and snapped his fingers 
with joy. Then he sat down at the spinning wheel 
and spun till the wheel whirred. You could 
scarcely see it, it flew so fast. Soon all the straw 
was spun. “ There,” said he, “ now you will 
not need me again. But do not forget your prom¬ 
ise, for at the right time I shall certainly come to 
claim the child.” Then he hopped away, laughing 
as he went. 

Not long afterward the King came into the room. 
He could wait no longer to see whether the girl 
had finished her task. When he saw the heaps 
of gold, more than ever before, he hardly knew 
what to do with himself, he was so happy. 

“Now I am satisfied,” said he. “You shall 
be my wife, as I promised, and your father shall 
be brought to court and become a great noble¬ 
man.” 

As the King said, so it was done. He and the 
girl were married, and her father was sent for to 
come and live at the court. 

And now the girl was very happy. She loved 
the King, and she had forgotten all about the 
promise she had made to the dwarf. 


120 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


At the end of a year a fine little child was born to 
the Queen. The whole kingdom was filled with 
rejoicings. As to the King he was almost beside 
himself with joy. 

One day, as the Queen was sitting by the baby’s 
cradle, the door opened, and the crooked little dwarf 
hopped into the room. When the Queen saw him 
she turned as white as paper. 

“Well,” said the dwarf, “ and are you ready to 
keep the promise you made when I spun the straw 
into gold for you ? ” 

Then the Queen began to beg and entreat that 
the dwarf would leave the baby with her, and not 
take it away. She offered him gold and jewels, 
and even the golden crown from her head, if he 
would only leave her the child. But no—no—the 
dwarf had gold and jewels, more than he cared for. 
It was the young Prince he wanted. 

At last he said, “ Listen, I will give you one 
chance. If within three days you can guess what 
my name is you shall keep the child, but if you 
fail in this then you must give him to me, and no 
more words about it.” 

To this the Queen agreed willingly, for she had 


BRITTLE-LEGS 121 

no fear but what she could guess the dwarf’s 
name. 

As soon as he had gone she sent out to all the 
neighbors round to learn what were the names of 
all the men they knew, and when the dwarf came 
the next day she was ready for him. 

“Was his name John?” “No, it was not.” 
“ Was it Henry ? ” “ No.” “ Was it James or 
Conrad or Phillip or Habbakuk?” “ No, no, no; 
it was none of them.” The Queen went over all the 
names she had learned, but not one of them was 
the right one, and the dwarf went away rejoicing. 

The next day he came again and the Queen 
had a fresh list of names ready, for she had sent 
out messengers far and wide, and they had brought 
back every name they could hear of. But the 
dwarf said no to all of them. Not one of them was 
right. Then the Queen’s heart sank within her, 
but she plucked up courage, and as soon as the 
dwarf had gone, sent out other messengers, but 
these brought back not a single name but those 
she knew already. The Queen was in despair. 
She sat at the window and waited for the dwarf to 
come, and she held the baby in her arms. 


122 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Then she heard the King’s forester talking to 
his sweetheart in the courtyard below. He had 
heard nothing of how the Queen had sent far and 
wide to gather names, for he had been off ih the 
forest for three days. The forester told his sweet¬ 
heart how he had lost his way in the forest the 
night before. Then he had come to a hollow, and 
it was full of rocks, and a red fire was burning 
among them. Around this fire a crooked little 
dwarf was dancing and as he danced he sang: 

“ To-day I brew, to-night I bake, 

To-morrow I the young prince take, 

For none could guess, unless they were told 
That Brittle-Legs is the name I hold.” 

When the Queen heard that, she laughed aloud. 
Then she arose and put the baby down, and sent 
word to the forester that he should tell no one else 
of what he had seen in the forest. 

Not long afterward the dwarf came as usual. 

“ Well, and have you guessed my name?” he 
asked; “for if you have not I must have the 
child.” 


BRITTLE-LEGS 


123 

The Queen pretended to be in great trouble. 
“ Is it—is it Short-Shanks ? ” she asked. 

“ No,” cried the dwarf and his eyes shone like 
sparks. 

“ Is it Long-Arms ? ” 

“ No,” shouted the dwarf, and he hopped up 
and down with joy. 

“ Is it—is it by any chance Brittle-Legs ? ” 

When the Queen said that the dwarf gave a 
scream of rage. His face grew first as black as 
thunder, and then as red as fire. 

“ Someone has told you! Someone has told 
you! ” he shrieked and he stamped so hard that his 
foot sank down into the floor and he could not pull 
it out, so he shook it off and hopped away, leaving 
one leg behind him, and what became of him after 
that nobody ever knew. But the Queen lived 
happy and untroubled forever after. 


“ I WENT UP ONE PAIR OF STAIRS,” ETC. 

Now I will tell you a joke; whatever I say to you, 
you must answer “ Just like me.” Now we will 
begin. 

I went up one pair of stairs. 

Just like me, 

I went up two pair of stairs. 

Just like me, 

I turned myself round about. 

Just like me, 

I went up three pair of stairs. 

Just like me, 

I made a cross on the wall. 

Just like me, 

I went up four pair of stairs. 

Just like me, 

I looked out of a window. 

Just like me, 

And I found I was up as high as the highest 
tree-top. 




“I WENT UP ONE PAIR OF STAIRS” 125 


Just like me, 

I saw something moving about in the highest 
tree-top. 

Just like me, 

I stared and stared to see what it was. 

Just like me, 

And then I saw it was a little monkey. 

Just like me, 

Just like you! Ha, ha! You said the monkey 
was just like you; I think you must be a little 
monkey yourself if it looked just like you. 

Now I will tell you something else. I will say 
one and then you must say two /1 will say three, and 
you must say four and so on; but each time we 
must say after the number “ a dead horse.” 
Like this. I say one a dead horse, and you must 
say two a dead horse. 

Now begin. 

One a dead horse. 

Two a dead horse, 

Three a dead horse. 

Four a dead horse, 

Five a dead horse. 


126 


MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


Six a dead horse. 

Seven a dead horse. 

Eight a dead horse. 

Eight a dead horsel Ate a dead horse! You 
said you ate a dead horse. Oh! oh! Did it taste 
good? I hope you enjoyed it. For my part I 
wouldn’t care to eat a dead horse. 

Now I will tell you what kind of a lock I am, and 
you must be the same kind of a key. If I say I am 
a gray lock, you must say you are a gray key. If 
I say I am a queer lock you must say you are a 
queer key. If I say I am a rusty lock you must 
say you are a rusty key. 

I am a gray lock. 

I'm a gray key. 

I’m a red lock. 

I'm a red key. 

I’m a dull lock. 

I'm a dull key. 

I’m a monk lock. 

I'm a monk key. 

You’re a monkey! You’re a monkey. That’s 
the second time you’ve said it, so now I’m sure it 


“I WENT UP ONE PAIR OF STAIRS ” 127 


must be so. Well, what other kinds of locks and 
keys are we ? Let us begin all over again. 

I’m a don lock. 

I'm a don key , 

Are you indeed? Are you really a dear little 
donkey ? Who would have thought it ? 



THE STRAW, THE COAL, AND THE BEAN 

A bean and a hot coal met each other on the 
highroad, and as they were both rolling along in 
the same direction they soon struck up a friend¬ 
ship. 

Presently they were joined by a straw, and the 
three began talking together. They were all go¬ 
ing out in the world to seek their fortunes. 

“ It is just a bit of luck that I can travel about 
in this way,” said the bean. “Jf I had not been 
a stout active fellow I would have been boiled into 
soup by now. The mistress was about to throw 
me into the pot with a lot of other beans, but I 

128 







THE STRAW, THE COAL, AND BEAN 129 

managed to slip through her fingers and rolled out 
through the doorway and down the steps without 
her even noticing I was gone.” 

“ That was a clever trick,” said the hot coal. 
“ I, too, am a lively chap. I and my brothers were 
set to heat a kettle, but I jumped out of the fire, and 
I was so hot the cook did not dare to touch me. 
She pushed me out of doors with her foot, and now 
I am free to go about the world as I choose, and 
seek my fortune.” 

The straw sighed. “ I was never as active as 
that,” she said. “ Always wherever the wind 
blew me I went. The farmer had picked up a 
whole armful of straws to make a bed for the cow; 
but the wind caught me up and carried me off— 
and here I am.” 

While they were talking in this way the com¬ 
rades came to a brook, and this stopped their 
journey, for they did not know how to get across. 
The straw could easily have sailed over on the first 
puff of wind, but that way would not do for the other 
two. 

“ Listen!” said the straw. “Iam long enough 
to reach from one side of the stream to the other. 


130 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


I will lay myself across it like a bridge, and then 
you can both walk on over me without getting wet.” 

To this plan the other two were glad to agree, so 
the straw laid herself across the stream. 

“ You go first,” said the bean, for he was a 
cautious fellow, and wanted to see whether the 
bridge was safe before he tried it. 

The coal, however, was quick and fiery. He 
ran out on the straw, but half-way over he grew 
dizzy and had to stop. 

“ Quick! quick!” cried the straw. “I am 
burning ”; for the coal was still very hot. 

“ Wait,” said the coal, balancing himself. “ Just 
a minute! ” 

But the straw could not wait even for a minute. 
The coal had burned through it, and down they 
both went into the water, the coal hissing as it 
fell. 

That seemed so comical to the bean that it 
began to laugh. It laughed and laughed; it 
laughed so hard that at last it split its skin, and 
that would have been the end of it if a tailor had 
not chanced to come by just then. 

“ Help! help! ” cried the bean. 


THE STRAW, THE COAL, AND BEAN 131 


The tailor looked all about him, and then he saw 
the bean lying on the ground. He picked it up, 
and it did not take him long to see what was the 
matter with it. “ This slit can be easily mended,” 
said he, and he whipped out his needle and thread 
and sewed up the bean in a trice. Unluckily he 
had only black thread, and the stitches made a 
line of black down the side of the bean. And 
ever since then, if you look, you will see that every 
bean of that kind has a black line down one side 
of it. 





THE WATER-SPRITE 


A little brother and sister were playing one day 
on the edge of a well that belonged to a water- 
sprite. The little girl held her brother’s hand, 
and leaned far over to look down into it. 

“ It seems to me that down below there I can 
see green meadows and flocks of sheep moving 
over them,” she said. 

“ It is only the reflection of the clouds,” said the 
little boy. “ But be careful. I fear you will 
fall in.” 

Even as he spoke the little girl slipped and fell 
into the well, and as she had hold of her brother’s 
hand she pulled him in after her. 

The two children went down—down—down— 
through the waters, and when they came to the 
bottom they found themselves in a country of 
green meadows and trees and streams, and before 
them stood a shining castle with domes and towers. 

This castle belonged to the water-sprite who 
owned the well. 


132 


























. 








































































































































































































































































THE WATER-SPRITE 


133 


The little brother and sister went up to the 
castle and knocked at the door, and at once the 
water-sprite opened it to them. 

“ Come in, come in,” said she. “ I saw you 
playing on the edge of the well, and it was I who 
caused you to fall in. I am lonely here, so you 
shall stay with me and be my servants, and what¬ 
ever I bid you do that you must do.” 

The water-sprite would have been beautiful if 
only she had not been so green. Her face was 
green and her hair was green, and her eyes were 
green. Only her teeth were white. 

The sprite led the children into the kitchen and 
there she gave the little girl a bucket that had no 
bottom. “ Go,” said she, “and fetch me some 
water to boil the dumplings for supper. And 
you,” said she to the boy, “ must cut me some 
wood,” and she gave him an ax that had no edge. 
It was as blunt as a hammer. 

The little sister went out to the spring that the 
water-sprite showed her, and tried to dip up water, 
but as fast as she dipped it up it ran out again, for 
the bucket had no bottom. 

The brother began to chop at a tree near by. He 


i 3 4 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


chopped and he chopped and he chopped, but he 
could scarcely make a dent, the ax was so blunt. 

When the children came back to the castle with¬ 
out either wood or water, the sprite was very 
cross with them. “ I can easily see that you are 
both very stupid,” said she. “But sit down; 
sit down at the table. Even if you are stupid I 
suppose you must eat.” 

The children sat down at the table, and the 
water-sprite set before them a dish of dumplings, 
but as the dumplings had not been cooked and 
were only dough the children could not eat them. 
They slipped them into their pockets, and then, 
when the sprite was not looking they gave the 
dumplings to the water-cat that rubbed about 
their chairs. 

After that the children went to bed and slept. 

The next day it was the same thing over again. 
The water-sprite set them tasks that they could 
not possibly do, and gave them only dough to eat, 
so the children made up their minds to run away. 
They waited, however, until afternoon, when the 
water-sprite went up to the top of the well to look 
about her. 


THE WATER-SPRITE 


135 


When they were about to set out, the water-cat 
said to them, “ You do well to run away. You 
would not be happy here. But do not think my 
mistress will allow you to escape if she can help it. 
When she comes home and finds you gone, she 
will at once set out in pursuit of you. She can go 
very much faster than you, and she will certainly 
catch you unless you take with you her comb, her 
brush, and her mirror. These are magic things. 
Each time you find she is about to catch you, throw 
one or other of these things over your shoulder. 
By this means, and by this means only, can you 
hope to escape.” 

The children thanked the little cat, and did as it 
advised them. They took the water-sprite’s brush 
and comb and mirror, and carried them off with 
them, and ran as fast as they could along the road 
that led to the upper world. 

Soon after they had left, the water-sprite came 
home. When she found them gone she only 
stopped long enough to scold the cat, and then she 
put on her shoes of swiftness and started after 
them. 

Presently the children looked behind them and 


136 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


saw her coming. She came so fast on her shoes 
of swiftness, that it seemed as though they could 
not possibly escape her. 

However, the children remembered what the 
water-cat had told them. They threw the comb 
behind them, and at once it spread and grew into 
a wall of spikes, tremendously stiff and high. It 
took the water-sprite a long time to climb over 
this wall, and the children were well on their way 
before they heard her behind them again. 

Then the little girl threw the brush over her 
shoulder. At once the brush became a great thick 
forest, through which the water-sprite could 
hardly find her way. 

But she got through it at last, and then it did not 
take her long to be at their heels again. 

“ And now we have only one more thing left,” 
said the brother, and he threw the mirror behind 
him. 

At once the mirror became a hill of glass so steep 
and smooth that no one could possibly climb it. 
The sprite tried to run up it, but no sooner had she 
gone a step or so than she slipped back again. 
At last, with a shriek of rage, she turned and fled 


THE WATER-SPRITE 


137 


back to her castle, and that was the last of 
her. 

But the children went on their way, and the 
road led them straight to the upper world and the 
door of their home. After that they were always 
careful to keep away from the edge of the water- 
sprite’s well. 






















i 


* 






» 


I 




I 




Star 


Jewels 






STAR JEWELS 


A little girl once lived all alone with her old 
grandmother upon the borders of a forest. They 
were so poor that they were scarcely able to buy 
food for their mouths, or clothes to cover them. 

“ Never mind, Granny,” the little girl would say. 
“ Some day I will be big enough to work, and then 
I will earn so much that I will be able to buy every¬ 
thing that we need, and to give something to 
other poor folk as well. 

One day the child went off into the forest to 
gather fagots. These she hoped to sell for a few 
pennies in the town over beyond the hill. She 
was to be gone all day, so she took with her into 
the forest a bit of the black bread, which was all 
they had left to eat. 

It was winter, and the air was bitterly cold. 
The child wrapped her little shawl about her, and 
ran on as fast as she could. She was hungry, but 
she intended to save her crust until after the fagots 
were gathered. 


142 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

Just as she reached the edge of the forest she 
met a boy, even smaller than she herself, and he 
was crying bitterly. 

The little girl had a tender heart. She stopped 
and asked the child why he was weeping. 

“Iam weeping,” he answered, “ because I am 
hungry.” 

“ Have you had nothing to eat to-day ? ” she 
asked. 

“ I have had nothing, and I am like to starve, for 
I know not where to go for food.” 

The little girl sighed. “ You are, perhaps, 
hungrier than I,” she said, and she took the crust 
from her pocket and gave it to the boy. Then she 
again hurried on. 

A little farther on, she met another child who 
was even more miserable-looking than the first, 
for this child seemed almost frozen with cold. 
Her clothing hung about her in rags, and her skin 
looked blue through the rents. 

“ Ah,” cried she, “ if I had but a warm little 
dress like yours! Help me, I pray of you, or I will 
certainly die of cold.” 

The good little girl was filled with pity. “ It 


STAR JEWELS 


H3 


is not right,” thought she, “ that I should have 
both a dress and a shawl. I will give one of them 
to this poor child.” 

She took off her dress and gave it to the child, 
and then wrapped the shawl closely about her 
shoulders. In spite of the shawl she felt very 
cold. Still she was near the place where the fagots 
were to be found, and as soon as she had gathered 
them she would run home again. 

She hastened on, but when she reached the 
place where the fagots were she saw an old woman 
already there, gathering up the fallen wood. The 
old woman was so bent and poor and miserable- 
looking that the little girl’s heart ached for her. 

“ Oh, oh! ” groaned the old woman. “ How my 
poor bones do ache. If I had but a shawl to wrap 
about my shoulders I would not suffer so.” 

The child thought of her own grandmother, and 
of how she sometimes suffered, and she had pity 
on the old woman. 

“Here,” said she, “take my shawl”; and slip¬ 
ping it from her shoulders she gave it to the old 
woman. 

And now she stood there in the forest with her 


144 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


arms and shoulders bare, and with nothing on her 
but her little shift. The sharp wind blew about 
her, but she was not cold. She had eaten nothing, 
but she was not hungry. She was fed and warmed 
by her own kindness. 

She gathered her fagots and started home again. 
It was growing dusk, and the stars shown through 
the bare branches of the trees. Suddenly an old 
man stood beside her. “ Give me of your fagots,” 
said he, “ for my hearth is cold, and I am too old to 
gather wood for myself.” 

The little girl sighed. If she gave him the 
fagots she would have to stop to gather more. 
Still she would not refuse him. “ Take them,” 
she said, “ in heaven’s name.” 

No sooner had she said this than she saw it was 
not an old man who stood before her, but a shin¬ 
ing angel. 

“ You have fed the hungry,” said the angel, 
“you have clothed the naked, and you have 
given help to those who asked it. You shall not go 
unrewarded. See! ” 

At once a light shone around the child, and it 
seemed to her that all the stars of heaven were 


STAR JEWELS 


145 


falling through the bare branches of the trees, 
but these stars were diamonds and rubies and 
other precious stones. They lay thick upon the 
ground. “ Gather them together,” said the angel, 
“ for they are yours.” 

Wondering, the child gathered them together— 
all that she could carry in the skirt of her little 
shift. 

When she looked about her again the angel was 
gone, but the child hastened home with her treas¬ 
ure. It was enough to make her and her old 
grandmother rich. From then on they lacked for 
nothing. They were not only able to have all they 
wished for, but to give to many who were poor. 
So they were not only rich, but beloved by all who 
knew them. 



SWEET PORRIDGE 

There was once a poor widow who had only one 
daughter, a child who was so good and gentle that 
everyone who knew her, loved her. 

One day the child went into the forest to gather 
firewood, and she was very sad because there was 
nothing left in the house to eat, and because she 
and her mother were so often obliged to go hungry. 

She had already gathered a bundle of sticks, and 
was about to go home, when she saw a poor old 
woman who had also come to the forest for wood. 
The woman was so bent and stiff that it was pitiful 
to see her. The child felt sorry for her and wished 
to help her. 


146 



SWEET PORRIDGE 


H7 


“ Good mother,” said she, “ let me gather the 
wood for you; it must be hard for you to stoop.” 

She put down her own load, and gathered for 
the old woman as much as she was able to carry. 
“ I would take it home for you,” said the little girl, 
“ but my mother is waiting for me, and I must make 
haste, for I am already late.” 

“ Child,” said the old woman, “ you have a good 
heart, and you deserve to be rewarded.” She 
then drew out from under her cloak a little iron 
pot. “ Take this,” she said. “ It is a magic pot. 
Whenever you are hungry you have only to say— 

“ ‘ Boil little pot 

Till the porridge is hot,’ 

and it will begin to boil and fill up with sweet por¬ 
ridge. When you have had enough say— 

“ ‘ Cease little pot, 

The porridge is hot/ 

and it will stop boiling.” 

She made the child repeat the words after her 
several times, and she then gave her the pot and 
hobbled away through the forest. 


148 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The child was filled with joy at the thought that 
now she and her mother need never be hungry 
again. She ran home as fast as she could, carry¬ 
ing the pot with both hands. 

When she came in her mother asked her where 
the wood was. 

“ I have brought home something better than 
wood,” cried the child. “ The wood only warms 
us, but here is something that will feed us as well.” 
She set the pot upon the table and said: 

“ Boil little pot 
Till the porridge is hot.” 

The pot at once began to bubble and boil, and 
soon it was full and brimming over with sweet 
porridge. The widow caught up a spoon and 
dipped some of the porridge out into a bowl, but 
the more she dipped out the more there was in it. 
When all the bowls in the house were full, the child 
said: 

“ Cease little pot, 

The porridge is hot,” 

and at once the pot stopped boiling. 

The widow was overjoyed at the treasure the 


SWEET PORRIDGE 


149 


little girl had brought home, “ Come,” cried she, 
“ let us sit down and eat.” 

“ Yes, dear mother,” said the child, “ but first I 
will carry some of the porridge to the neighbors 
who were so kind to us when we had nothing.” 

She filled a large kettle with porridge and started 
out with it, but no sooner had she gone than the 
widow began to wonder whether they had kept 
enough for themselves. She did not feel satisfied, 
so she said to the pot: 

“ Boil little pot 
Till the porridge is hot.” 

Immediately the pot began to bubble and boil. 
Soon it was full and the porridge began to run over. 
The widow wished to stop it, but she had for¬ 
gotten what to say. “ Enough ! ” she cried. 
“Stop! Stop!” but the porridge still boiled up 
and over the edge of the pot. The widow caught 
up the spoon and again began dipping out the 
porridge; she dipped as fast as she could. Soon 
all the pots and pans in the house were full and 
still the pot continued to boil out porridge. In 
despair the widow seized the pot and threw it 


150 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 

outside the door, but the porridge flowed out from 
it in a stream, and ran down the road. 

The little girl was coming home when she met 
the stream of porridge, and at once she guessed 



what had happened. She ran as fast as she could 
and when she came to the place where the pot 
lay she cried: 

“ Cease little pot, 

The porridge is hot.” 

At once the pot stopped boiling, but already 
enough porridge had been wasted to have fed the 
whole countryside. 


SWEET PORRIDGE 


151 

After that the widow never again dared to tell 
the pot to boil. When they wished for porridge it 
was the child who spoke to it. But from then on 
she and her mother never lacked for anything, 
for the porridge was so delicious that people came 
from far and near to buy from them. 


CHICKEN-DIDDLE 


One day Chicken-diddle had gone to sleep 
under a rose-bush, and a cow reached over the 
fence and bit off the top of the rose-bush. The 
noise wakened Chicken-diddle, and just as she 
woke a rose-leaf fell on her tail. 

“Squawk! Squawk!” cried Chicken-diddle, 
“ the sky’s falling down ”; and away she ran as fast 
as her legs would carry her. She ran until she 
came to the barnyard, and there was Hen-pen 
rustling in the dust of the barnyard. 

“Oh, Hen-pen, don’t rustle—run, run!” cried 
Chicken-diddle. “ The sky’s falling down.” 

The hen stopped rustling. “ How do you know 
that Chicken-diddle ? ” asked Hen-pen. 

“ I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my ears, 
and part of it fell on my tail. Oh, let us run, run, 
until we get some place.” 

“ Quawk! Quawk,” cried the hen, and she be¬ 
gan to run, and Chicken-diddle ran after her. 


152 


CHICKEN-DIDDLE 


153 


They ran till they came to the duck-pond, and 
there was Duck-luck just going in for a swim. 

“ Oh, Duck-luck! Duck-luck! don’t try to 
swim,” cried Hen-pen. “ The sky’s falling down.” 

“ How do you know that, Hen-pen ? ” asked 
Duck-luck. 

“ Chicken-diddle told me.” 

“How do you know that, Chicken-diddle?” 

“ Why shouldn’t I know it ? I saw it with my 
eyes, I heard it with my ears, and part of it fell 
on my tail. Oh, let us run, run until we get some 
place.” 

“ Yes, we had better run,” quacked Duck-luck, 
and away he waddled with Hen-pen, and Chicken- 
diddle after him. 

They ran and ran till they came to a green 
meadow, and there was Goose-loose eating the 
green grass. 

“ Oh, Goose-loose, Goose-loose, don’t eat; run, 
run,” cried Duck-luck. 

“ Why should I run? ” asked Goose-loose. 

“ Because the sky’s falling down.” 

“ How do you know that, Duck-luck ? ” 

“ Hen-pen told me.” 


154 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ How do you know that, Hen-pen ? ” 

“ Chicken-diddle told me.” 

“ How do you know that, Chicken-diddle? ” 
“Because I saw it with my eyes, and heard it 
with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail. Oh, 
let us run, run some place.” 

“ Yes, we’d better run,” cried Goose-loose. 
Away they all ran, Goose-loose at the head of 
them, and they ran and ran until they came to the 
turkey-yard, and there was Turkey-lurkey strutting 
and gobbling. 

“ Oh, Turkey-lurkey! don’t strut! Don’t strut! ” 
cried Goose-loose. 

“ Why should I not strut ? ” asked Turkey-lurkey. 
“ Because the sky’s falling down.” 

“ How do you know it is ? ” 

“ Duck-luck told me I ” 

“ How do you know, Duck-luck?” 

“ Hen-pen told me!” 

“ How do you know, Hen-pen ? ” 

“ Chicken-diddle told me!” 

“ How do you know, Chicken-diddle.” 

“ I couldn’t help knowing ? I saw it with my 
eyes, I heard it with my ears, and a part of it fell 


CHICKEN-DIDDLE 155 

on my tail. Oh, let us run, run until we get some 
placed 

“Yes, we’d better run,” said Turkey-lurkey, 
so away they all ran, first Turkey-lurkey, and then 
Goose-loose, and then Duck-luck, and then Hen- 
pen, and then Chicken-diddle. 

They ran and ran until they came to Fox-lox’s 
house, and there was Fox-lox lying in the door¬ 
way and yawning until his tongue curled up in his 
mouth. When he saw Turkey-lurkey and Goose- 
loose and Duck-luck and Hen-pen and Chicken- 
diddle he stopped yawning, and pricked up his 
ears, and he was very glad to see them. 

“ Well, well,” said he, “ and what brings you all 
here ? ” 

“ Oh, Fox-lox, Fox-lox, don’t yawn,” cried 
Turkey-lurkey, “ the sky’s falling down.” 

“ How do you know that, Turkey-lurkey ? ” asked 
the fox. 

“ Goose-loose told me.” 

“ How do you know that, Goose-loose ? ” 

“ Duck-luck told me.” 

“ How do you know that, Duck-luck ? ” 

“ Hen-pen told me.” 


156 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ How do you know that, Hen-pen ? ” 

“ Chicken-diddle told me.” 

“ How do you know that, Chicken-diddle ? ” 

“ I couldn’t help knowing, for I saw it with my 
eyes, and I heard it with my ears, and part of it 
fell on my tail. Oh, where shall we run? We 
ought to go some place.” 

“ Well,” said the Fox, “ you come right in here, 
and I’ll take such good care of you that even if the 
sky falls down you won’t know anything about it.” 

So in ran Turkey-lurkey, and Fox-lox put him 
in the big room, and shut the door. In ran Goose- 
loose, and he put him in the little room, and shut 
the door. In ran Duck-luck, and he put him in the 
cellar, and shut the door. In ran Hen-pen, and he 
put her in the attic, and shut the door. In ran 
Chicken-diddle, and Fox-lox kept him right there 
in the room with him. And what happened to them 
after that I don’t know, but nobody ever saw them 
again; if the sky really fell, I never heard about it. 
They were only a pack of silly fowls, anyway. 



A PACK OF RAGAMUFFINS 

“ My dear,” said the cock to the hen one day, 
“ what do you say to our taking a walk over to 
Mulberry Hill ? The mulberries must be ripe by 
now, and we can have a fine feast.” 

“That would suit me exactly,” answered the 
hen. “Iam very fond of ripe fruit, and it is a long 
time since I have tasted any.” So the cock and 
hen set off together. 

The way was long, and the day was hot, and be- 

157 




158 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


fore the two had reached the top of the hill they 
were both of them tired and out of breath. The 
mulberries lay thick on the ground, and the cock 
and the hen ran about hither and yon, pecking and 
eating—pecking and eating, until they could eat no 
more, and the sun was near setting. 

“Oh! oh!” groaned the hen, “how weary I 
am. How in the world are we to get home again. 
My legs are so tired, I could not go another step 
if my life depended on it.” 

“ My dear,” said the cock, “ I too am weary, 
but I see here a number of fallen twigs. If I could 
but weave them into a coach we might ride home 
in comfort.” 

“ That is a clever thought,” sighed the hen. 
“ Make it by all means. There is nothing I like 
better than riding in a coach.” 

The cock at once set to work, and by weaving 
sticks and grasses together he made a little coach 
with body, wheels, and shafts all complete. 

The hen was delighted. She at once hopped 
into the coach, and seated herself. “ Now, my 
dear Cock-a-lorum,” she cried, “ nothing more is 
needed but for you to get between the shafts and 


A PACK OF RAGAMUFFINS 


159 

step out briskly, and we will be at home in less 
than no time.” 

“ What are you talking about? ” asked the cock 
sharply. “ I have no idea of pulling the coach 
myself. My legs ache as well as yours, and if you 
wait for me to pull you home you may sit there 
till doomsday.” 

“ But how then are we to get home ? ” asked the 
hen, beginning to weep. 

“ I do not know,” answered the cock. “ But 
what I do know is that I am not going to pull you.” 

“ But you must pull me,” wept the hen. 

“ But I won’t pull you,” stormed the cock. 

So they scolded and disputed and there is no 
knowing how it would have ended, but suddenly 
a duck appeared from behind some bushes. 

When the duck saw the hen and the cock it 
ruffled up its feathers and waddled toward them, 
quacking fiercely. “ What is this! What is this! ” 
cried the duck. “ Do you not know that this hill 
belongs to me ? Be off at once or I will give you a 
sound beating.” 

It flew at the cock with outspread wings. The 
cock, however, was a brave little fellow. Instead 


i6o MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


of running away he met the duck valiantly, and 
seizing it he pulled out a beakful of feathers. The 
hen shrieked, but the cock continued to punish the 
duck until it cried for mercy. 

“ Very well,” said the cock, settling his feathers. 
“ I will let you go this time, but only if you will 
promise to draw our coach to the nearest inn, where 
we can spend the night.” 

The duck was afraid to refuse the cock’s demand. 
He put himself between the shafts, the cock 
mounted the coach and cracked his whip, and away 
they all went as fast as the duck could waddle. The 
coach rocked and bumped over the stones, and sud¬ 
denly the duck gave a jump that almost upset it. 
“ Ouch! ouch! ” it cried. “ Something stuck me.” 

“ I do well to stick you,” replied a small sharp 
voice. “ I may teach you to look where you are 
going, and not step on honest travelers who are 
smaller than you.” 

The voice was that of a needle, who, with a pin 
for a comrade, was journeying along the same road. 

The cock looked out from the coach. “I am 
sorry,” said he, “ that my duck should be so care¬ 
less. Will you not get in and ride with us? ” 


A PACK OF RAGAMUFFINS 161 

This the pin and the needle were glad to do. 
The hen was somewhat nervous at first, lest one of 
them might tread on her foot, but they were so 
polite, and so careful not to crowd her, that she soon 
lost her fear of them. 

Just before nightfall the coach reached the door 
of an inn. Here the duck stopped, and the cock 
called loudly for the landlord. 

The man came running, but when he saw the 
strange guests that sat in the coach he almost 
shut the door on them. “ We want no raga¬ 
muffins here,” he cried. 

“ Wait a bit,” cried the cock. “ Just see this 
fine white egg that the hen has laid. And every 
morning the duck lays an egg also. Both of these 
shall be yours if you will take us in for the 
night.” 

Well, the landlord was willing to agree to that 
bargain. He bade the companions enter and make 
themselves comfortable. This they did, eating 
and drinking to their hearts’ content. Then the 
cock and the hen made themselves comfortable in 
the best bed, and the others tucked themselves 
away as best they could. 


162 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


As soon as they were all asleep the landlord said 
to his wife, “ Listen! This is a fine bargain that I 
have made. Roast duck is very good, and so is 
chicken pie, and to-morrow our travelers shall 
furnish us with both of them. As for the needle 
and pin you can put them away in your work-bas¬ 
ket, and they will always be useful.” 

After saying this the landlord and his wife also 
went to sleep, for the landlord intended to be 
up early in the morning before his guests had 
wakened. 

The cock, however, was not one to let anyone 
catch him sleeping. While it was still dark the 
next morning, he awakened the hen. “ Come,” 
said he; “we’d best be up and away. This 
landlord of ours seems to me a sly and greedy man; 
he might take a notion to have roast chicken for 
dinner to-day, so we had better be gone before he 
is stirring.” 

To this the hen agreed, but she and the cock were 
both hungry, so before starting they shared the 
egg between them. The shells they threw in 
among the ashes on the hearth. Then they took 
the needle and stuck it in the back of the land- 


A PACK OF RAGAMUFFINS 


1 


163 

lord’s chair; the pin they put in the towel that 
hung behind the door, and this done they took to 
their wings and away they flew. 

The sound of their going awoke the duck. It 
opened its eyes and looked after them. “ Well, 
well! So they’re off. I think I’d better be mov¬ 
ing myself,” and so saying it waddled down to 
the river, and swam back to the place whence it 
had come. 

It was not long after this the landlord himself 
awoke. “ I’ll just slip down and see to the travel¬ 
ers before breakfast,” said he. 

“ Do,” answered his wife. 

First, however, the landlord stopped to wash in 
the kitchen. He picked up the towel to dry his face, 
and the pin that was in it scratched him from ear 
to ear. He went to the hearth to light his pipe 
and the egg-shells flew up in his face. He sat 
down in his chair for a moment, but scarcely had he 
leaned back, when he jumped up with a cry. The 
needle had run into him. 

“It is all the fault of those ragamuffins,” cried 
the landlord in a rage, and he caught up a knife 
and ran to find them. But search as he might 


i6 4 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


there was not a sign of them anywhere, for they 
were already safely home again. 

So all the landlord had for his trouble after all, 
was his pains. 



THE FROG PRINCE 

There was once a king who had one only daugh¬ 
ter, and her he loved as he loved the apple of his 
eye. 

One day the Princess sat beside a fountain in 
the gardens, and played with a golden ball. She 
threw it up into the air and caught it again, and the 
ball shone and glittered in the sunshine so that 
she laughed aloud with pleasure. But presently 
as she caught at the ball she missed it, and it 
rolled across the grass and fell into the fountain. 
There it sank to the bottom. The Princess tried 
and tried to reach it, but she could not. Then she 
165 





166 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


began to weep, and her tears dripped down into the 
fountain. 

“ Princess, Princess, why are you weeping ? ” 
asked a hoarse voice. 

The Princess looked about her, and there was a 
great squat green frog sitting on the edge of the 
fountain. 

“ I am weeping, Froggie, because I have dropped 
my ball into the water and I cannot get it again,” 
answered the Princess. 

“ And what will you give me if I get it for you ? ” 

“ Anything in the world, dear Frog, except the 
ball itself.” 

“ I wish you to give me nothing, Princess,” said 
the frog. “ But if I bring back your ball to you 
will you let me be your little playmate ? Will you let 
me sit at your table, and eat from your plate, and 
drink from your mug, and sleep in your little 
bed?” 

“ Yes, yes,” cried the Princess. She was very 
willing to promise, for she did not believe the frog 
could ever leave the fountain, or come up the 
palace steps. 

“ Very well, then that is a promise,” said the 


THE FROG PRINCE 


167 


frog, and at once he plunged into the fountain 
and brought back the ball to the Princess in his 
arms. 

The little girl took the ball and ran away with 
it without even stopping to thank him. 



That evening the child sat at supper with her 
father, and she ate from her golden plate, and 
drank from her golden mug, and she did not even 
give a thought to the frog down in the fountain. 

Presently there came a knocking at the door, 
but it was so soft that no one heard it but the 
Princess Then the knocking came again, and a 



168 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


hoarse voice cried, “King’s daughter, King’s 
daughter, let me in. Have you forgotten the pro¬ 
mise you made me by the fountain ? ” 

The Princess was frightened. She slipped down 
from her chair, and ran to the door, and opened it 
and looked out. There on the top-most step sat 
the great green frog. 

When the Princess saw him she shut the door 
quickly, and came back to the table, and she was 
very pale. 

“ Who was that at the door? ” asked the King. 

“ It was no one,” answered the Princess. 

“ But there was surely someone there,” said the 
King. 

“ It was only a great green frog from the foun¬ 
tain,” said the Princess. And then she told her 
father how she had dropped her ball into the 
fountain, and how the frog had brought it back to 
her, and of what she had promised him. 

“ What you have promised that you must per¬ 
form,” said the King. “ Open the door, my daugh¬ 
ter, and let him in.” 

Very unwillingly the child went back to the door 
and opened it; the frog hopped into the room. 


THE FROG PRINCE 169 

When she returned to the table, the frog hopped 
along close at her heels. 

She sat down and began to eat. “ King’s 
daughter, King’s daughter, set me upon the table 
that I too may eat from your golden plate,” said 
the frog. 

The Princess would have refused, but she dared 
not because of what her father had said. She 
lifted the frog to the table, and there he ate 
from her plate, but she herself could touch 
nothing. 

“ I am thirsty,” said the frog. “ Tilt your 
golden mug that I may drink from it.” 

The Princess did as he bade her, but as she did 
so she could not help weeping so that her tears 
ran down into the milk. 

When supper was ended the Princess was about 
to hurry away to her room, but the frog called to 
her, “ King’s daughter, King’s daughter, take me 
along. Have you forgotten that I was to sleep 
in your little white bed ? ” 

“ That you shall not,” cried the Princess in a 
passion. “ Go back to the stones of the fountain, 
where you belong.” 


170 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


u What you have said that you must do,” said 
the King. “ Take the frog with you.” 

The Princess shuddered, but she dared not 
refuse. 

She took the frog with her up to her room, and 
put him down in the darkest corner, where she 
would not see him. Then she undressed and 
went to bed. But scarcely had her head touched 
the pillow when she heard the frog calling her. 

“ King’s daughter, King’s daughter! Is this the 
way you keep your promise ? Lift me up to the 
bed, for the floor is cold and hard.” 

The Princess sprang from the bed and seized 
the frog in her hands. “ Miserable frog,” she 
cried, “ you shall not torment me in this way.” 
So saying she threw the frog against the wall with 
all her force. 

But no sooner did the frog touch the wall than 
it turned into a handsome young prince, all dressed 
in green, with a golden crown upon his head, and a 
chain of emeralds about his neck. 

The Prince came to her, and took her by the 
hand. 

“ Dear Princess,” said he, “ you have broken 


THE FROG PRINCE 


171 

the enchantment that held me. A cruel fairy was 
angry with my father, and so she changed me into 
a frog, and put me there in the fountain. But now 
that the enchantment is broken we can really be 
playmates, and when you are old enough you shall 
be my wife.” 

The Princess did not say no. She was delighted 
at the thought of having such a handsome play¬ 
mate. And as for marrying him later on, she was 
quite willing for that, too. 

So the Prince stayed there in the palace, and the 
King was very glad to think he was to have him 
for a son-in-law, and when he and the Princess 
were married, there was great rejoicing and feast¬ 
ing through all the kingdom. 

The Prince, however, was not willing to stay away 
from his own kingdom any longer. He said he 
must return to see his old father. 

One day a handsome golden coach drawn by 
eight white horses drove up to the door. It had 
been sent by the Prince’s father to fetch him home 
again. Upon the box rode the faithful servant who 
had cared for the Prince when he was a child. 

When the Prince had been carried away by the 


172 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


fairy this faithful servant had grieved so bitterly 
he had feared his heart would break. To keep 
this from happening he had put three great iron 
bands around his body. 

The Prince and the Princess entered the coach, 
and away went the horses. They had not driven 
far, however, when a loud crack was heard. 

“ What is that?” cried the Princess. “ Surely 
something has broken.” 

“ Yes, mistress,” answered the faithful servant, 

“ It was a band that bound my heart. 

My joy hath broken it apart.” 

They drove a little farther, and then there came 
another crack, even louder than the first. 

“ Surely the coach is breaking down,” cried the 
Prince. 

u Nay, master,” answered the faithful servant, 

“ ’Tis but my joy that rives apart 
The second band that held my heart.” 

A little farther on there came a crack that was 
louder than any. 

“ Now surely something has broken,” cried the 
Prince and Princess together. 


THE FROG PRINCE 


173 


“ ’Tis the last band that held my heart, 

And joy has riven all apart,” 

answered the servant. 

After that they drove on quietly until they 
reached their own country. There the Prince and 
Princess lived in happiness to the end of their lives, 
and the faithful servant with them. 


THE WOLF AND THE FIVE LITTLE GOATS 


There was once a mother goat who had five 
little kids, and these kids were so dear to her that 
nothing could have been dearer. 

One day the mother goat was going to the forest 
to gather some wood for her fire. “ Now, my little 
kids,” said she, “ you must be very careful while 
I am away. Bar the door behind me, and open 
it to nobody until I return. If the wicked wolf 
should get in he would certainly eat you.” 

The little kids promised they would be careful, 
and then their mother started out, and as soon as 
she had gone they barred the door behind her. 

Now it so happened the old wolf was on the 
watch that day. He saw the mother goat trotting 
away toward the forest, and as soon as she was out 
of sight, he crept down to the house and knocked 
at the door—rap-tap-tap! 

“ Who is there ? ” called the little kids within. 

“ It is I, your mother, my dears,” answered 
174 


THE WOLF AND FIVE LITTLE GOATS 175 

the wolf in his great rough voice. “ Open the door 
and let me in. ,, 

But the kids were very clever little kids. “No, 
no/’ they cried. “ You are not our mother. Our 
mother has a soft, sweet voice, and your voice is 
harsh and rough. You must be the wolf.” 

When the wolf heard this he was very angry. 
He battered and battered at the door, but they 
would not let him in. Then he turned and galloped 
away as fast as he could until he came to a dairy. 
There he stuck his head in at the window, and the 
woman had just finished churning her butter. 

“ Woman, woman,” cried the wolf, “ give me 
some butter. If you do not I will come in and 
upset your churn.” . 

The woman was frightened. At once she gave 
him a great deal of butter—all he could eat. 

The wolf swallowed it down, and then he ran 
back to the goat’s house and knocked at the door- 
rat-tat-rat ! 

“ Who is there?” asked the little goats within. 

“ Your mother, my dears,” answered the wolf, 
and now his voice was very soft and smooth because 
of the butter he had swallowed. 


176 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ It is our mother,” cried the little kids, and they 
were about to open the door, but the littlest kid of 
all, who was a very wise little kid, stopped them. 

“ Wait a bit,” said he. “ It sounds like our 
mother’s voice, but before we open the door we 
had better be very, very sure it is not the wolf.” 
Then he called through the door, “Put your paws 
up on the windowsill.” 

The wolf suspected nothing. He put his paws 
up on the windowsill, and as soon as the little kids 
saw them they knew at once that it was not then- 
mother. “ No, no,” they cried, “ you are not our 
mother. Our mother has pretty white feet, and 
your feet are as black as soot. You must be the 
wolf.” 

When the wolf heard this he was angrier than 
ever. He turned and galloped away again, and as 
he galloped he growled to himself and gnashed 
his teeth. 

Presently he came to a baker’s shop, and there 
he stuck his head in at the window. 

“ Baker, baker, give me some dough,” he cried. 
“ If you do not I will upset your pans and spoil 
your baking.” 


THE WOLF AND FIVE LITTLE GOATS 177 


The baker was frightened. At once he gave 
the wolf all the dough he wanted. The wolf 
seized it and ran away with it. He ran until he 
came to the goafs house. There he sat down 
and covered his black feet all over with the white 
dough. Then he knocked at the door—rat- 
tat-tat ! 

“ Who is there ?” cried the little goats within. 

“ Your mother, my dears, come home again,” 
answered the wolf, in his smooth buttery voice. 

u Put your paws up on the windowsill.” 

The wolf put his paws up on the windowsill, 
and they looked quite white because of the dough. 
Then the little kids felt sure it was their mother, 
and they gladly opened the door. 

“ Woof !” In bounded the wipked wolf. 

The little goats cried out and away they ran, 
some in one direction, and some in another. They 
hid themselves one behind the door, and one in the 
dough-trough, and one in the wash-tub, and one 
under the bed, and one (and he was the littlest one 
of all) hid in the tall clock-case. The wolf stood 
there glaring about him, and not as much as a tail 
of one of them could he see. 


12 


178 MOTHER'S NURSERY TALES 

Then he began to hunt about for them, but he 
had to be in a hurry, because he was afraid the 
mother goat would come home again. 

He found the kid behind the door, and he was 
in such a hurry he swallowed it whole without 
hurting it in the least. He found the one in the 
wash-tub, and he swallowed it whole, too* He found 
the one in the dough-trough, and it, too, he 
swallowed whole. He found the one under the 
bed and he swallowed it whole. The only one he 
did not find was the one in the clock-case, and 
he never thought of looking there. He hunted 
around and hunted around, and he was afraid to 
stay any longer for fear their mother would come 
home. 

But now the old wolf felt very heavy and sleepy. 
He looked around for a place to go in order to lie 
down and rest. 

Not far away were some rocks and trees that 
made a pleasant shadow. Here the wolf stretched 
himself out, and presently he was snoring so loudly 
that the leaves of the trees shook overhead. 

Soon after this the mother goat came home. 
As soon as she saw the door of the house standing 


THE WOLF AND FIVE LITTLE GOATS 179 

open, she knew at once that some misfortune had 
happened. She went in and looked about her. 
The furniture was all upset and scattered about 
the room. “ Alas, alas! My dear little kids !” 
cried the mother. “ The wicked wolf has cer¬ 
tainly been here and eaten them all. ,, 

“ He didn’t eat me,” said a little voice in the 
clock-case. 

The mother goat opened the door of the clock- 
case and the littlest kid of all hopped out. 

“But why were you in the clock-case? And 
what has happened ? ” asked the mother. 

Then the little kid told her all about how the 
wolf had come there with his buttery voice and 
his whitened paws, and how they had let him in, 
and how he had swallowed all four of the other 
little kids, so that he alone was left. 

After the mother goat had heard the story she 
went to the door and looked about. Then she 
heard the old wolf snoring where he lay asleep 
under the nut-trees in the shade of the rocks. 

“ That must be the old wolf snoring,” said the 
mother goat, “ and he cannot be far away. Do 
not make a noise, my little kid, but come with me.” 


i8o MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The mother goat stole over to the heap of rocks, 
and the little kid followed her on tiptoes. She 
peeped and peered, and there lay the old wolf so 
fast asleep that nothing less than an earthquake 
would have wakened him. 

“ Now, my little kid,” whispered the mother, 
“ run straight home again as fast as you can, and 
fetch me my shears and a needle and some stout 
thread.” 

This the little kid did, and he ran so softly over 
the grass that not even a mouse could have heard 
him. 

As soon as he returned the mother goat crept 
up to the old wolf, and with the sharp shears she 
slit his hide up just as though it had been a sack. 
Out popped one little kid, and out popped another 
little kid, and another, and another, and there they 
all were, just as safe and sound as though they 
had never been swallowed. And all this while 
the old wolf never stirred nor stopped snoring. 

“And now, my little kids,” whispered the 
mother, “ do you each one of you bring me a big 
round stone, but be very quick and quiet, for your 
lives depend upon it.” 


THE WOLF AND FIVE LITTLE GOATS 181 


So the little kids ran away, and hunted around, 
and each fetched her back a big round stone, and 
they were very quick and quiet about it, just as their 
mother had bade them be. 

The old goat put the stones inside the wolf, 
where the little kids had been, and then she drew 
the hide together and sewed it up, using the stout, 
strong thread. After that she and the little kids 
hid themselves behind the rocks, and watched and 
waited. 

Presently the old wolf yawned and opened his 
eyes. Then he got up and shook himself, and 
when he did so the stones inside him rattled to¬ 
gether so that the goat and the little kids could 
hear them, where they hid behind the rocks. 

“ Oh, dear! Oh, dear me! ” groaned the wolf; 

“ What rattles, what rattles against my poor bones? 

JTot little goats, I fear, but only big stones.” 

Now what with the stones inside of him and the 
hot sun overhead the wolf grew very thirsty. Near 
by was a deep well, with water almost up to the 
brink of it. The old wolf went to drink. He 
leaned over, and all the stones rolled up to his 


182 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 

head and upset him. Plump! he went down into 
the water, and the stones carried him straight to 
the bottom. He could not swim at all, and so he 
was drowned. 

But all the little kids ran out from behind the 
rocks and began to dance around the well. 

“ The old wolf is dead, A-hey! A-hey! 

The old wolf is dead, A-hey! ” 

they sang, and the mother goat came and danced 
with them, they were all so delighted. 




THE GOLDEN GOOSE 

There was once an honest laborer who had three 
sons. The two eldest were stout clever lads, but 
as to the youngest one, John, he was little better 
than a simpleton. 

One day their mother wanted some wood from 
the forest, and it was the eldest lad who was to go 
and get it for her. It was a long way to the forest, 
so the mother filled a wallet with food for him. 
There was a loaf of fine white bread, and a bit of 
183 








184 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


cheese, and a leathern bottle of good red wine as 
well. 

The lad set off and walked along and walked 
along and after awhile he came to the place where 
he was going, and there under a tree sat an old, 
old man. His clothes were gray, and his hair 
was gray, and his face was gray, so he was gray all 
over. 

“ Good-day,” said the man. 

“ Good-day,” said the lad. 

“ I am hungry,” said the gray man. “ Have you 
not a bite and sup that you can share with me ? ” 

“ Food I have, and drink too,” said the lad, 
“ but it is for myself, and not for you. It would t>e 
a simple thing for me to carry it this far just to give 
it to a beggar ”; and he went on his way. 

But it was bad luck the lad had that day. 
Scarcely had he begun chopping wood when the head 
of the ax flew off, and cut his foot so badly that 
he was obliged to go limping home, with not even 
so much as a fagot to carry with him. 

The next day it was the second son who said he 
would go to the forest for wood. 

“ And see that you are more careful than your 


THE GOLDEN GOOSE 


185 


brother,” said his mother. Then she gave him 
a loaf of bread, and a bit of cheese, and a bottle of 
wine, and off he set. 

Presently he came to the forest, and there, 
sitting in the same place where he had sat before, 
was the old gray man. 

“ Good-day,” said the man. 

“ Good-day,” said the lad. 

“ I am hungry,” said the gray man. “ Have 
you not a bite or a sup to share with me ? ” 

“ Food I have and drink as well, but I am not 
such a simpleton as to give it away when I need 
all for myself.” 

The lad went on to the place where he was 
going, and took his ax and began to chop, but 
scarcely had he begun when the ax slipped and 
cut his leg so badly that the blood ran, and he could 
scarcely get home again. 

That was a bad business, for now both of the 
elder brothers were lame. 

The next day the simpleton said he would go to 
the forest for wood. 

“You, indeed!” cried his mother. “It is not 
enough that your two brothers are hurt ? Do yon 


186 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


think you are smarter than they are? No, no; do 
you stay quietly here at home. That is the best 
place for you.” 

But the simpleton was determined to go, so his 
mother gave him an end of dough that was left 
from the baking and a bottle of sour beer, for that 
was good enough for him. With these in his 
wallet John started off, and after awhile he came 
to the forest, and there was the gray man sitting 
just as before. 

“ Good-day,” said the man. 

“ Good-day,” answered the simpleton. 

“I am hungry,” said the gray man. “Have 
you not a bite or sup that you can share with me ? ” 

Oh yes, the simpleton had both food and drink 
in his wallet. It was none of the best, but such as 
it was he was willing to share it. 

He reached into his wallet and pulled out the 
piece of dough, but what was his surprise to find 
that it was dough no longer, but a fine cake, all 
made of the whitest flour. The old man snatched 
the cake from John and ate it all up in a trice. 
There was not so much as a crumb of it left. 

“ Poor pickings for me! ” said John. 


THE GOLDEN GOOSE 187 

And now the old gray man was thirsty. “ What 
have you in that bottle ? ” he asked. 

“ Oh, that was only sour beer.” 

The old man took the bottle and opened it. 
“Sour beer! Why it is wine,” he cried, “and 
of the very best, too.” 

And the simpleton could tell it was by the smell 
of it. But the smell of it was all he got, for the old 
man raised the bottle to his lips, and when he 
put it down there was not a drop left in it. 

“ And now I may go thirsty as well as hungry,” 
said John. 

“ Never mind that,” said the old man. “ After 
this you may eat and drink of the best whenever 
you will. Go on into the forest and take the first 
turning to the right. There you will see a hollow 
oak tree. Cut it down, and whatever you find 
inside of it you may keep; it belongs to me, and 
it is I who give it to you.” 

Then of a sudden the old man was gone, and 
where he went the simpleton could have told 
no one. 

The lad went on into the forest, as the gray man 
had told him, and took the first turn to the left, 


188 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


and there sure enough was a hollow oak tree. 
The lad could tell it was hollow from the sound it 
made when his ax struck it. 

John set to work, and chopped so hard the 
splinters flew. 

After awhile he cut through it so that the tree 
fell, and there, sitting in the hollow, was a goose, 
with eyes like diamonds, and every feather of pure 
gold. 

When John saw the goose he could not wonder 
enough. He took it up under his arm and off he 
set for home, for there was no more chopping for 
him that day. 

But if the goose shone like gold it weighed like 
lead. The farther John went the wearier he 
grew. After awhile he came to an inn, just out¬ 
side of the city where the King lived. There the 
simpleton sat him down to rest. He pulled a fea¬ 
ther from the golden goose, and gave it to the 
landlord and bade him bring him food and drink, 
and with such payment as that it was the very 
best that the landlord sat before him you may be 
sure. 

While the simpleton ate and drank the land- 


THE GOLDEN GOOSE 189 

lord’s wife and daughter watched him from a 
window. 

“ Oh, if we only had a second feather,” sighed 
the daughter. 

“ Oh, if we only had! ” sighed the mother. 

Then the two agreed between them that when 
the simpleton had finished eating and drinking, 
the daughter should creep up behind him and 
pluck another feather from the bird. 

Presently John could eat and drink no more. 
He rose up and tucked the golden goose under his 
arm, and off he set. 

The landlord’s daughter was watching, and she 
stole up behind him and caught hold of a feather 
in the goose’s tail. No sooner had she touched it, 
however, than her fingers stuck, and she could not 
let go. Off marched John with the goose under his 
arm, and the girl tagging along after him. 

The mother saw her following John down the 
road, and first she called, and then she shouted, 
and then she ran after her and caught hold of her 
to bring her home. But no sooner had she laid 
hands on the girl than she, too, stuck, and was 
obliged to follow John and the golden goose. 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


190 

The landlord was looking from the window. 
“ Wife, wife,” he cried, “ where are you going? ” 
And he hurried after her and caught her by the 
sleeve. Then he could not let go any more than 
the others. 

The simpleton marched along with the three 
tagging at his heels, and he never so much as 
turned his head to look over his shoulder at 
them. 

The road ran past a church, and there was the 
clergyman just coming out of the door. “ Stop, 
stop !” he cried to the landlord. “ Have you for¬ 
gotten you have a christening feast to cook to¬ 
day ? ” And he ran after the landlord and caught 
hold of him, and then he too stuck. 

The sexton saw his master following the land¬ 
lord, and he ran and caught hold of his coat, and 
he too had to follow. So it went. Everyone who 
touched those who followed the golden goose 
could not let go, and were obliged to tag along at 
John’s heels. 

Now the King of that country had a daughter 
who was so sad and doleful that she was never 
known to smile. For this reason a gloom hung 


THE GOLDEN GOOSE 


191 

over the whole country, and the King had prom¬ 
ised that any one who could make the Princess 
laugh should have her as a wife and a half of the 
kingdom as well. 

It so chanced the simpleton’s way led him 
through the city and by the time he came in front 
of the King’s palace the whole street was in an 
uproar, and John had a long train of people tagging 
along after him. 

The Princess heard the noise in the room where 
she sat sighing and wiping her eyes, and as she 
was very curious she went to the window and 
looked out to see what all the uproar was about. 

When she saw the simpleton marching along 
with a goose under his arm and a whole string 
of people after him, all crying and bawling and 
calling for help, it seemed to her the funniest 
thing she had ever seen. She began to laugh, 
and she laughed and laughed. She laughed 
until the tears ran down her cheeks and she had 
to hold her sides for laughing. 

But it was no laughing matter for the King, as 
you may believe. Here was a poor common lad, 
and a simpleton at that, who had made the Princess 


192 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


laugh; so now, by all rights, he might claim her for 
a wife, and the half of the kingdom, too. 

The King frowned and bit his nails, and then he 
sent for John to be brought before him, and the lad 
came in alone, for he had set the people free at 
the gates. 

“ Listen, now,” said the King to John. “ It is 
true I promised that anyone who made the Princess 
laugh should have her for a wife, but there is more 
to the matter than that. Before I hand over part 
of the kingdom to anyone, I must know what sort of 
friends he has, and whether they are good fellows. 
If you can bring here a man who can drink a whole 
cellar full of wine at one sitting then you shall 
have the Princess and part of the kingdom, just as 
promised; but if you cannot you shall be sent home 
with a good drubbing to keep you quiet. 

When John heard that he made a wry face. He 
did not know where he could find a man who could 
drink a whole cellar full of wine at one sitting. 

He went out from the castle, and suddenly he 
remembered the old gray man who had given him 
the golden goose. If the old man had helped him 
once perhaps he might again. 


THE GOLDEN GOOSE 


l 93 


He set out for the forest, and it was not long 
before he came to it. There, sitting where the 
old gray man had sat before, was a man with a 
sad and rueful face. He looked as though he had 
never smiled in all his life. He was talking to 
himself, and when the simpleton drew near 
he found the man was saying over and over, 
“ How dry I am! How dry I am! Not even the 
dust of a summer’s day is as dry as I.” 

“ If you are so thirsty, friend,” said John, 
“ rise up and follow me. Do you think you could 
drink a whole cellar full of wine at one sitting? ” 
Yes, the man could do that, and glad to get it, 
too. A whole cellar full of wine would be none 
too much to satisfy such a thirst as his. 

“ Then, come along,” said John. 

He took the man back to the castle and down 
into the cellar where all the casks of wine were 
stored. When the man saw all that wine his eyes 
sparkled with joy. He sat him down to drink, and 
one after another he drained the casks until the 
very last one of them was empty. Then he 
stretched himself and sighed. “ Now I am con¬ 
tent,” said he. 


13 


194 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


As for the King his eyes bulged with wonder that 
any one man could drink so much at one sitting. 

“ Yes, that is all very well,” said he to the 
simpleton. “ I see you have a friend who can 
drink. Have you also a friend who can eat a 
whole mountain of bread without stopping? If 
you have, you may claim the Princess for your 
wife, but if you have not, then you shall be sent 
home with a good drubbing.” 

Well, that was not in the bargain, but perhaps 
the simpleton might be able to find such a man. 

He set off for the forest once more, and when 
he came near the place where the thirsty man had 
sat he saw there another man, and he was enough 
like the thirsty man to be his brother. 

As John came near to where he sat he heard him 
talking to himself, and what he was saying over- 
and over was, “ How hungry I am. Oh, how hun¬ 
gry I am.” 

“ Friend,” said the simpleton, “ are you hungry 
enough to eat a whole mountain of bread? If 
you are I may satisfy you.” 

Yes, a whole mountain of bread would be none 
too much for the hungry man. 


THE GOLDEN GOOSE 


195 


So John bade the stranger follow him and then 
he led the way back to the castle. 

There all the flour in the kingdom had been 
gathered together into one great enormous moun¬ 
tain of dough. When John saw how big it was his 
heart failed him. 

“ Can you eat that much?” he asked of the 
hungry man. 

“ Oh, yes, I can eat that much, and more, too, if 
need be,” said the man. 

Then he sat down before the mountain of bread 
and began to eat. He ate and he ate, and he ate, 
and when he finished not so much as a crumb of 
bread was left. 

As for the King he was a sad and sorry man. 
Not only was his daughter and part of the king¬ 
dom promised to a simpleton, but he had not 
even a cupful of flour left in the palace for his 
breakfast. 

And still the King was not ready to keep the 
promises he had made. There was one thing 
more required of the simpleton before he could 
have the Princess and part of the kingdom for 
himself. Let him bring to the King a ship that 


196 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

would sail both on land and water, and he should 
at once marry the Princess, and no more words 
about it. 

Well, John did not know about that, but he 
would do the best he could. He took the road 
that led back to the forest, iand when he reached 
the place where the old man had sat, there was 
the old man sitting again just as though he had 
never moved from that one spot. 

“ Well,” said the old man, “ and has the golden 
goose made your fortune ? ” 

“ That,” answered John, “ is as it may be. It 
may be I am to have the half of a kingdom and a 
princess for a wife, and it may be that I am only 
to get a good drubbing. Before I win the Princess 
I must find a ship that will sail on land as well as 
on water, and if there is such a thing as that in the 
world I have never heard of it.” 

“ Well, there might be harder things than that 
to find,” said the old man. It might be he could 
help John out of that ditch, and what was more 
he would, too, and all that because John had once 
been kind to him. The old man then reached in 
under his coat and brought out the prettiest little 


THE GOLDEN GOOSE 


197 


model of a ship that ever was seen. Its sails were 
of silk, its hull of silver, and its masts of beaten 
gold. 

The old man set the ship on the ground, and at 
once it began to grow. It grew and grew and grew, 
until it was so large that it could have carried a 
score of men if need be. 

“ Look,” said the old man. “ This I give to 
you because you were kind to me and willing to 
share the best you had. Moreover it was I who 
drank the wine and ate the mountain of bread 
for you. Enter into the ship and it will carry 
you over land and water, and back to the King’s 
castle. And when he sees this ship he will no 
longer dare to refuse you the Princess for your 
wife. 

And so it was. John stepped into the ship 
and sailed away until he came to the King’s palace, 
and when the King saw the ship he was so de¬ 
lighted with it that he was quite willing to give 
the Princess to the simpleton for a bride. 

The marriage was held with much feasting and 
rejoicing, and John’s father and mother and his 
two brothers were invited to the feast. But they 


198 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


no longer called him the simpleton; instead he 
was His Majesty, the wise King John. 

As for the old gray man he was never seen again, 
and as the golden goose had disappeared also, 
perhaps he flew away on it. 


























































































































THE THREE SPINNERS 


There was once a girl who was so idle and lazy 
that she would do nothing but sit in the sunshine 
all day. She would not bake, she would not 
brew, she would not spin, she would not sew. 
One morning her mother lost patience with her en¬ 
tirely, and gave her a good beating. The girl cried 
out until she could be heard even into the street. 

Now it so chanced the queen of the country was 
driving by at that time, and she heard the cries. 
She wished to find out what the trouble was, so 
she stopped her coach and entered the house. 
She went through one room after another, and 
presently she came to where the girl and her 
mother were. 

“ What is all this noise ? ” she asked. “ Why is 
your daughter crying out? ” 

The mother was ashamed to confess what a lazy 
girl she had for a daughter, so she told the queen 
what was not true. 


199 


200 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


“ Oh, your majesty,” cried she, “ this girl is 
the worry of my life. She will do nothing but spin 
all day, and I have spent all my money buying 
flax for her. This morning she asked me for 
more, but I have no money left to buy it. It was 
because of that she began to cry, as you heard.” 

The Queen was very much surprised. “ This 
girl of yours must be a very fine spinner,” she said. 
“ You must bring her to the palace, for there is 
nothing I love better than spinning. Bring her to¬ 
morrow, and if she is as wonderful a spinner as I 
suspect, she shall be to me as my own daughter, 
and shall have my eldest son as a husband.” 

When the girl heard she was to go to the palace 
and spin she was terrified. She had never spun 
a thread in her life, and she feared that when the 
Queen found this out she would be angry and 
would have her punished. However, she dared 
say nothing. 

The next day she and her mother went to the 
palace, and the Queen received them kindly. The 
mother was sent home again, but the daughter 
was taken to a tower where there were three 
great rooms all filled with flax. 


THE THREE SPINNERS 


201 


“ See,” said the Queen. “ Here is enough flax 
to satisfy you for awhile at least. When you have 
spun this you shall marry my son, and after that 
you shall have all the flax you want. Now you 
may begin, and to-morrow I will come to see how 
much you have done.” 

So saying the Queen went away, closing the door 
behind her. 

No sooner was the girl alone than she burst 
into tears. Not if she lived a hundred years 
could she spin all that flax. She sat and cried 
and cried and cried. 

The next morning the Queen came back to see 
how much she had done. She was very much 
surprised to find the flax untouched, and the girl 
sitting there with idle hands. “ How is this ? ” 
she asked. “ Why are you not at your spinning ? ” 

The girl began to make excuses. “ I was so 
sad at being parted from my mother that I could 
do nothing but sit and weep.” 

“ I see you have a tender heart,” said the 
Queen. “ But to-morrow you must begin to work. 
When I come again I shall expect to see a whole 
roomful done.” 


202 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


After she had gone the girl began to weep again. 
She did not know what was to become of her. 

Suddenly the door opened, and three ugly old 
women slipped into the room. The first had a 
splayfoot. The second had a lip that hung down 
on her chin. The third had a hideous broad 
thumb. 

The girl looked at them with fear and wonder. 
“ Who are you? ” she asked. 

The one with the splayfoot answered. “We 
are three spinners. We know why you are weeping, 
and we have come to help you, but before we help 
you, you must promise us one thing: that is that 
when you are married to the Prince, we may come 
to your wedding feast, that you will let us sit at 
your table, and that you will call us your aunts.” 

“Yes, yes; I will, I will,” cried the girl. She 
was ready to promise anything if they would only 
help her. 

At once the splayfoot sat down at the wheel, and 
began to spin and tread. She with the hanging 
lip moistened the thread, and the woman with the 
broad thumb pressed and twisted it. They worked 
so fast that the thread flowed on like a swift stream. 


THE THREE SPINNERS 


203 

Before the next evening they had finished the whole 
roomful of flax. 

When the Queen came again she was delighted 
to find so much done. “ To-morrow,” said she, 
“ you shall begin in the second room.” 

The next day the girl was taken into the second 
room, and it was larger than the first and was also 
full of flax. 

Scarcely had the Queen left her when the door 
was pushed open, and the three old women came 
into the room. 

“ Remember your promise,” said they. 

“ I remember,” answered the girl. 

The old women then took their places and began 
to spin. Before the next evening they had finished 
all the flax that was in the room. 

When the Queen came to look at what had been 
done, she was filled with wonder. Not only had all 
the flax in the room been spun, but she had never 
seen such smooth and even threads. 

“ To-morrow,” said she, “ you shall spin the flax 
that is in the third room, and the day after you 
shall be married to my son.” 

The third day all happened just as it had before. 


204 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

The girl was taken to the third room and it was 
even larger than the others. Scarcely had she 
been left alone when the three old women opened 
the door and came in. 

“ Remember your promise,” said they. 

“ I will remember,” answered the girl. 

The old women took their places, and before 
night all the flax was spun. Then they rose. 
“ To-morrow will be your wedding day, and we will 
be at the feast. If you keep your word to us, all 
will go well with you, but if you forget it, mis¬ 
fortune will surely come upon you.” Then they 
disappeared through the door as they had come, 
the eldest first. 

When the Queen came that evening she was 
even more delighted than before. Never had she 
seen such thread, so smooth it was and even. 

The girl was led down from the tower and dressed 
in silks and velvets and jewels, and when thus 
dressed she was so beautiful that the Prince was 
filled with love and joy at the sight of her. The 
next day they were married, and a grand feast was 
spread. To this feast all the noblest in the land 
were invited. 


THE THREE SPINNERS 


205 


The bride sat beside her husband, and he could 
look at no one else, she was so beautiful. 

Just as the feast was about to begin the door 
opened and the three old women who had spun 
the flax came in. 

The Prince looked at them wonderingly. Never 
had he seen such hideous, ugly creatures before. 
“ Who are these ? ” he asked of the girl. 

“ These,” said she, “ are my three old aunts, 
and I have promised they shall sit at the table with 
us, for they have been so kind to me that no one 
could be kinder. ,, 

The girl then rose, and went to meet the old 
women. “ Welcome, my aunts,” she said, and led 
them to the table. The Prince loved the girl so dearly 
that all she did seemed right to him. He com¬ 
manded that places should be put for the old women, 
and they sat at the table with him and his bride. 

They were so hideous, however, that the Prince 
could not keep his eyes off them. At length he 
said to the eldest, “ Forgive me, good mother, but 
why is your foot so broad ? ” 

“ From treading the thread, my son, from tread¬ 
ing the thread,” she answered. 


206 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The Prince wondered; he turned to the second 
old woman. “ And you, good mother,” he said, 
“ why does your lip hang down ? ” 

“ From wetting the thread,” she answered. 
“ From wetting the thread.” 

The Prince was frightened. He spoke to the 
third old woman. “ And you, why is your thumb 
so broad, if I may ask it ? ” 

“ From pressing and twisting,” she answered. 
“ From pressing and twisting.” 

The Prince turned pale. “ If this is what comes 
of spinning,” said he, “ never shall my bride touch 
the flax again.” 

And so it was. Never was the girl allowed even 
to look at a spinning wheel again; and that did 
not trouble her, as you may guess. 

As for the old women, they disappeared as soon 
as the feast was over, and no one saw them again, 
but the bride lived happy forever after. 


GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS 


There was once a little girl whose hair was so 
bright and yellow that it glittered in the sun like 
spun-gold. For this reason she was called Goldi¬ 
locks. 

One day Goldilocks went out into the meadows 
to gather flowers. She wandered on and on, and 
after a while she came to a forest, where she had 
never been before. She went on into the forest, 
and it was very cool and shady. 

Presently she came to a little house, standing 
all alone in the forest, and as she was tired and 
thirsty she knocked at the door. She hoped the 
good people inside would give her a drink, and let 
her rest a little while. 

Now, though Goldilocks did not know it, this 
house belonged to three bears. There was a 
GREAT BIG FATHER BEAR, and a middling¬ 
sized mother bear, and a dear little baby bear, 
no bigger than Goldilocks herself. But the three 


208 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


bears had gone out to take a walk in the forest 
while their supper was cooling, so when Goldi¬ 
locks knocked at the door no one answered her. 

She waited awhile and then she knocked again, 
and as still nobody answered her she pushed the 
door open and stepped inside. There in a row 
stood three chairs. One was a GREAT BIG 
CHAIR, and it belonged to the father bear. And 
one was a middling-sized chair, and it belonged 
to the mother bear, and one was a dear little chair , 
and it belonged to the baby bear. And on the 
table stood three bowls of smoking hot porridge. 
“ And so,” thought Goldilocks, “ the people must 
be coming back soon to eat it.” 

She thought she would sit down and rest until 
they came, so first she sat down in the GREAT 
BIG CHAIR, but the cushion was too soft. It 
seemed as though it would swallow her up. Then 
she sat down in the middle-sized chair, and 
the cushion was too hard, and it was not com¬ 
fortable. Then she sat down in the dear little 
chair, and it was just right, and fitted her as 
though it had been made for her. So there she 
sat, and she rocked and she rocked, and she sat and 


GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS 209 


she sat, until with her rocking and her sitting 
she sat the bottom right out of it. 

And still nobody had come, and there stood the 
bowls of porridge on the table. They can’t be 
very hungry people,” thought Goldilocks to herself, 
“ or they would come home to eat their suppers.” 
And she went over to the table just to see whether 
the bowls were full. 

The first bowl was a GREAT BIG BOWL with a 
GREAT BIG WOODEN SPOON in it, and that 
was the father bear’s bowl. The second bowl was 

a MIDDLE-SIZED BOWL, with a MIDDLE-SIZED WOODEN 

spoon in it, and that was the mother bear’s bowl. 
And the third bowl was a dear little bowl, with a 
dear little silver spoon in it, and that was the baby 
bear’s bowl. 

The porridge that was in the bowls smelled so 
very good that Goldilocks thought she would just 
taste it. 

She took up the GREAT BIG SPOON, and 
tasted the porridge in the GREAT BIG BOWL, 
but it was too hot. Then she took up the 
middle-sized spoon and tasted the porridge in the 
middle-sized bowl, and it was too cold. Then she 


2io MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


took up the little silver spoon and tasted the 
porridge in the dear little bowl, and it was just 
right, and it tasted so good that she tasted and 
tasted, and tasted and tasted until she tasted it 
all up. 

After that she felt very sleepy, so she went up¬ 
stairs and looked about her, and there were three 
beds all in a row. The first bed was the GREAT 
BIG BED that belonged to the father bear. And 
the second bed was a middling-sized bed that 
belonged to the mother bear, and the third bed 
was a dear little bed that belonged to the dear 
little baby bear. 

Goldilocks lay down on the GREAT BIG BED to 
try it, but the pillow was too high, and she wasn’t 
comfortable at all. 

Then she lay down on the middle-sized bed, 
and the pillow was too low, and that wasn’t com¬ 
fortable either. 

Then she lay down on the little baby bear's bed 
and it was exactly right, and so very comfortable 
that she lay there and lay there until she went 
fast asleep. 

Now while Goldilocks was still asleep in the 


GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS 211 

little bed the three bears came home again, and as 
soon as they stepped inside the door and looked 
about them they knew that somebody had been 
there. 

“ SOMEBODY’S BEEN SITTING IN MY 
CHAIR,” growled the father bear in his great 
big voice, “ AND LEFT THE CUSHION 
CROOKED.” 

“And somebody’s been sitting in my chair,” said 
the mother bear, “and left it standing crooked.” 

“ And somebody's been sitting in my chair,” 
squeaked the baby bear, in his shrill little voice, 
“ and they've sat and sat till they've sat the bottom 
out ”; and he felt very sad about it. 

Then the three bears went over to the table 
to get their porridge. 

“WHAT’S THIS!” growled the father bear, 
in his great big voice, “ SOMEBODY’S BEEN 
TASTING MY PORRIDGE, AND LEFT THE 
SPOON ON THE TABLE.” 

“ And SOMEBODY’S BEEN TAKING MY PORRIDGE,” Said 
the mother bear in her middle-sized voide, “ and 

THEY’VE SPLASHED IT OVER THE SIDE.” 

“ And somebody's been tasting my porridge 


212 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


squealed the baby bear, “ and they've tasted and 
tasted until they've tasted it all up” And when 
he said so the baby bear looked as if he were about 
to cry. 

“ If SOMEBODY’S BEEN HERE THEY MUST BE HERE 

still,” said the mother bear; so the three bears 
went upstairs to look. 

First the father bear looked at his bed. “ SOME¬ 
BODY’S BEEN LYING ON MY BED AND 
PULLED THE COVERS DOWN,” he growled 
in his great big voice. 

Then the mother bear looked at her bed. 

“SOMEBODY’S BEEN LYING ON MY BED AND PULLED 

the pillow off,” said she in her middle-sized 
voice. 

Then the baby bear looked at his bed, and there 
lay little Goldilocks with her cheeks as pink as 
roses, and her golden hair all spread over the 
pillow. 

“ Somebody's been lying in my bed” squeaked 
the baby bear joyfully, “ and here she is still1 ” 
Now when Goldilocks in her dreams heard the 
great big father bear’s voice she dreamed it was 
the thunder rolling through the heavens. 


GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS 213 

And when she heard the mother bear’s middle- 
sized voice she dreamed it was the wind blowing 
through the trees. 

But when she heard the baby bear’s voice it was 
so shrill and sharp that it woke her right up. She 
sat up in bed and there were the three bears 
standing around and looking at her. 

“ Oh, my goodness me!” cried Goldilocks. She 
tumbled out of bed and ran to the window. It was 
open, and out she jumped before the bears could 
stop her. Then home she ran as fast as she could, 
and she never went near the forest again. But 
the little baby bear cried and cried because he had 
wanted the pretty little girl to play with. 




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THE THREE LITTLE PIGS 


A mother pig and her three little pigs lived 
together in a wood very happily all through the 
long summertime, but towards autumn the mother 
pig called her little ones to her and said, 44 My 
dear little pigs, the time has come for you to go out 
into the world and seek your own fortunes. You 
will each want to build a little house to live in, but 
do not build them of straw or leaves; straws are 
brittle and leaves are frail. Build your houses 
of bricks, for then you will always have a safe 
place to live in; you can go in and lock the door, 
and nothing can harm you.” She then bade the 
little pigs farewell, and away they ran out into the 
world to make their fortunes. 

The first little pig had not gone far when he 
met a man with a load of straw. The straw looked 
so warm, and smelled so good that the little pig 
quite forgot what his mother had told him. 

“ Please, Mr. Man,” said the little pig, 44 give 
217 


218 


MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


me enough straw to build a house to keep me warm 
through the long winter.” 

The man did not say no. He gave the little 
pig all the straw he wanted, and then he drove 
on. 

The little pig built himself a house of straw, and 
it was so warm and cosy that he was quite de¬ 
lighted with it. “ How much better,” said he 
“than a house of cold hard bricks.” 

So he lay there snug and warm, and presently 
the old wolf knocked at the door. 

‘ 1 Piggy-wig, piggy-wig, let me in!” he cried. 

“ I won’t, by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin,” 
answered the pig. 

“ Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your 
house in.” 

The little pig laughed aloud, for he felt very safe 
in his snug straw house. 

“ Well, then huff, and then puff, and then blow 
my house in ! ” he cried. 

Well, the old wolf did huff and puff, and he did 
blow the house in, for it was only made of straw, 
and then he ate up the pig. 

The second little pig when he left the forest ran 


THE THREE LITTLE PIGS 


219 


along and ran along and presently he met a man 
with a great load of leaves. 

“ Oh, kind Mr. Man, please give me some leaves 
to build me a little house for the winter time,” 
cried the piggy. 

The man was willing to do this. He gave the 
pig all the leaves he wanted, and then he went on 
his way. 

The pig built himself a house of leaves and it 
was even snugger and warmer than the straw house 
had been. “ How silly my mother was,” said the 
pig, “ to tell me to build a brick house. What 
could be warmer and cosier and safer than this.” 
And he snuggled down among the leaves and was 
very happy. 

Presently along came the great wolf, and he 
stopped and knocked at the door. 

“ Piggy-wig, piggy-wig, let me in!” he cried. 

“ I won’t, by the hair of my chinny-chin- 
chin!” 

“ Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your 
house in.” 

The little pig laughed when he heard that, for the 
walls were thick, and he felt secure. 


220 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ Well, then huff, and then puff, and then blow 
my house in.” 

So the wolf huffed, and he puffed, and he did 
blow the house in, and he ate up the little pig that 
was inside of it. 

Now the third little pig was the smallest pig of 
all, but he was a very wise little pig, and he meant 
to do exactly as his mother had told him to do. 
After he left the forest he met a man driving a 
wagon-load of straw, but he did not ask for any 
of it. He met the man with the load of leaves, 
but he did not ask for any of it. He met a man 
with a load of bricks, and then he stopped and 
begged so prettily for enough bricks to build himself 
a little house that the man could not refuse him. 

The pig took the bricks and built himself a little 
red house with them, and it was not an easy task 
either. When it was done it was not so soft as the 
little straw house, and it was not so warm as the 
little leaf house, but it was a very safe little house. 

Presently the old wolf came along and knocked 
at the door—rat-tat-tat! 

“ Piggy-wig, piggy-wig, let me in,” he called. 

“ I won’t, by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin.” 


\ 


THE THREE LITTLE PIGS 


221 


“ Then Pll huff, and Pll puff, and Pll blow your 
house in.” 

“ Well, then huff, and then puff, and then blow 
my house in,” answered the pig. 

So the old wolf huffed and he puffed, and he 
puffed and he huffed, and he huffed and he puffed 
till he almost split his sides, and he just couldn't 
blow the house in, and the little pig laughed to 
himself as he sat safe and comfortable inside there. 

The old wolf saw there was nothing to be 
done by blowing, so he sat down and thought and 
thought. Then he said, “ Piggy-wig, I know where 
there is a field of fine turnips.” 

“ Where?” asked the little pig. 

“ Open the door and I will tell you.” 

No, the little pig could hear quite well with the 
door closed. 

“ It is just up the road three fields away,” said 
the wolf, “ and if you would like to have some I 
will come for you at six o’clock to-morrow morning, 
and we will go and dig them up together.” 

“At six o’clock!” said the little pig. “Very 
well.” 

Then the old wolf trotted off home, licking his 


222 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


lips, and he was well content, for he thought he 
would have pig for breakfast the next day. 

But the next morning the little pig was up and 
astir by five o’clock. Off he trotted to the turnip 
field and gathered a whole bagful of turnips and was 
home again before the old wolf thought of coming. 

At six o’clock the old wolf knocked at the door. 

“ Are you ready to go for the turnips, Piggy?” 
he cried. 

“ Ready!” answered the pig. “Why I was up 
and off to the field an hour ago and I have all the 
turnips I want, and I’m boiling them for break¬ 
fast.” 

“That’s what you did!” said the wolf. And 
then he thought a bit. “ Piggy, do you like fine 
ripe apples?” he asked. 

Yes, the pig was very fond of apples. 

“ Then I can tell you where to find some.” 

“ Where is that?” 

“ Over beyond the hill in the squire’s orchard, 
and if you will play me no tricks I will come for 
you at five o’clock to-morrow, and we will go 
together, and gather some.” 

Very well; the pig would be ready. 


THE THREE LITTLE PIGS 


223 


So the wolf trotted off home, and this time he 
was very sure that he would have a nice fat little 
piggy for breakfast the next morning. 

The little pig got up at four o’clock the next 
day, and off he started for the orchard as fast as his 
four little feet would carry him. But the way was 
long, and the tree was hard to climb, and while he 
was still up among the branches gathering apples 
the old wolf came trotting into the orchard. The 
little pig was very much frightened, but he kept 
very still and hoped, up among the leaves, the wolf 
would not see him. 

The wolf peered about, first up one tree and 
then up another, and finally he spied the piggy 
up among the branches. 

“ Why did you not wait for me?” 

“ Oh, I knew you would be along presently.” 

“ How soon are you coming down ? ” 

“ When I have picked a few more apples.” 

The old wolf sat down at the foot of the tree, and 
the pig sat up among the branches crunching 
apples and smacking his lips. 

“ Are they good?” asked the wolf looking up; 
and his mouth watered. 


224 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Yes, they were very good. 

“ Could you not throw one down to me ? ” 

Yes, the little pig could do that. 

He picked the biggest, reddest apple he could, 
and then he threw it, but he threw it far off, and 
in such a way that it went bounding and rolling 
down the hill slope. The wolf bounded down 
the hill after it, and while he was catching it, the 
little pig climbed down the tree and ran safely 
home with his basketful of apples. 

When the old wolf found the pig had tricked him 
again he was very angry. He was more deter¬ 
mined than ever that he would catch the little pig. 
He trotted off to the little red house and knocked at 
the door. 

“ Did you get all the apples you wanted ? ” asked 
the wolf. 

Yes, the little pig had all he wanted, and he 
was very much obliged to the wolf for telling him 
about the orchard. 

“ Listen, Piggy, there’s to be a fine fair over in 
the town to-morrow,” said the wolf. “ Wouldn’t 
you like to go ? ” 

Yes, the little pig would like very much to go. 


THE THREE LITTLE PIGS 


225 


“ Very well,” said the wolf. “ Then I will come 
for you at half-past three to-morrow, and we will go 
together.” 

“ Very well,” said the little pig. But long before 
half-past three the next day, piggy was off to the 
fair, and he took four bright silver pieces with him, 
for he wanted to buy himself a butter-chum. It 
did not take him long to buy the churn, and then 
he started home again, carrying it on his back. 

But the wolf had learned a thing or two about 
the little pig’s tricks. He, too, started off to the 
fair long before half-past three, and so it was that 
the little pig was scarcely half-way home, and had 
just reached the top of a high hill, when he saw 
the wolf come trotting up the hill directly toward 
him. The little pig was terrified. He looked all 
around but he could not see any place to hide. He 
decided the best thing he could do was to get inside 
the chum. So he put it down and crept inside 
it. But the hill was very steep, and no sooner was 
the piggy inside the churn than it began to roll 
down the hill slope bumpety-bumpety-bump, over 
rocks and stones, leaping and bounding like a live 
thing. The little pig did not know what was 


IS 


226 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


happening to him. He began to squeal at the top 
of his voice. 

The old wolf was half-way up the hill when he 
heard the noise. He looked up, and there was a 
great round thing coming bounding over the rocks 
straight at him, and squeaking and squeaking as it 
came. He gave one look and his hair bristled with 
fear, and with a howl he turned tail and ran home 
as fast as he could. He never stopped till he was 
safe inside his house, and had shut and locked the 
door behind him. There he crouched, trembling 
and wondering what would happen. But noth¬ 
ing happened, and all was quiet, so after awhile 
the wolf ventured out and ran over to the pig’s 
house. 

“ Piggy, Piggy! Are you in there ? ” 

Yes, the little pig was sitting by the fire roasting 
apples. 

“ Then, listen while I tell you what happened 
to me on the way to the fair.” Then the wolf put 
his nose close to the crack of the door, and told 
the little pig all about the great round squealing 
thing that had chased him down the hill. 

The little pig laughed and laughed. “ And 


THE THREE LITTLE PIGS 


227 


I can tell you exactly what the great squealing 
thing was; it was a churn I had bought at the fair, 
and I was inside it.” 

When the old wolf heard this he was so furious 
that he determined to have the little pig whether 



or no, even if he had to climb up on the roof and 
down the chimney to get him. He stuck his sharp 
nails in between the bricks of the house and 
climbed right up the side of it and onto the roof. 
Then he climbed up on the chimney and slid down 
it into the fire-place. 

But the little pig had heard what he was doing, 






228 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


and was ready for him. He had a great pot of 
boiling water on the fire, and when he heard the 
wolf slipping and scrabbling down the chimney he 
took the lid off the kettle, and plump! the old wolf 
fell right into the boiling water. Then the little 
pig clapped the lid tight down over him, and that 
was the end of the wolf. 

But the little pig lived on in peace and plenty for¬ 
ever after, and if any other wolf ever came along to 
bother him I never heard of it. 



THE GOLDEN KEY 

It was winter, and a little lad had gone out into 
the forest to gather wood to keep the fire going at 
home. As there was snow upon the ground he 
took his little sledge with him, for he could carry 
home a larger load on the sledge than on his back. 

He gathered together a heap of fallen branches, 
and then piled them neatly on the sledge, putting 
the larger pieces at the bottom. Before he had 
finished the task his fingers were almost frozen, 
for he had no mittens. “ Before I start to drag my 


229 


230 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


sled home,” said he to himself, “ I will build a fire 
and warm my hands a bit.” 

He took a stick, and cleared away some of the 
snow, so as to have a place to build the fire. When 
he had done this he saw a little golden key lying 
there on the ground. The little lad picked it up, 
wondering. “ Wherever there is a key, there 
must be a lock,” he said. 

He began to scrape away the earth, and presently 
he found a curious looking chest made of iron inlaid 
with silver. There were words written on the lid of 
the chest, but the little boy could not read them. 

He lifted the chest out from the earth, and it 
seemed to him that something was stirring inside 
of it. Then a little thin voice, as thin as a thread, 
cried to him. “ Let me out! Let me out, and I 
will make your fortune.” 

The little boy was very much surprised. The 
chest seemed too small for any living being to be 
in it. 

“ Who are you? ” he asked. 

“ Open the chest and see. If you will only let 
me out you will never be sorry.” 

The little boy put the golden key in the lock and 


THE GOLDEN KEY 


231 


it fitted exactly. He turned it round and the lock 
flew back. But as to what was in the chest you 
will have to wait until he lifts the lid before you 
can see. 


MOTHER HULDA 


There was once a widow who had two daughters; 
the elder of the girls was cross and ugly, but the 
mother loved her dearly because she was exactly 
like herself, and also because she was her own 
daughter. The younger girl was only her step¬ 
daughter, and because of this, and also because the 
girl was good and pretty the mother hated her, and 
did all she could to make her miserable. 

One day the good daughter sat by the well 
spinning, and as she spun she wept because she 
was so unhappy. The tears blinded her eyes, 
and presently she pricked her finger, and a drop 
of blood fell on the flax. The girl was frightened, 
for she feared her stepmother would scold her 
when she saw the flax, so she stooped over the 
edge of the well to try to wash the blood off it. 
But the spindle slipped from her hand and sank 
down and down through the water until it was lost 
to sight. 


232 




















MOTHER HULDA 


233 


That was worse than ever; the girl did not know 
what her stepmother would do to her when she 
heard the spindle had been lost down the well. 
Still she was obliged to confess. 

The widow was indeed very angry. 

“ You good-for-nothing!” she cried. “ You are 
the trouble of my life. Out of my sight, and do 
not dare to return until you can bring the spindle 
with you,” and she gave the girl a push so that she 
almost fell over. 

The girl was so frightened and unhappy that she 
ran out of the door; without stopping to think, she 
jumped into the well. Down, down she sank, 
through the waters, just as the spindle had done, 
and when she reached the bottom she found her¬ 
self in a broad green meadow with a road leading 
across it. 

The girl followed the road, and presently she 
came to a baker’s oven that stood beside the way, 
and it was full of bread. The girl was about to 
pass by, but the loaves inside called to her, “ Take 
us out! Take us out! If we are left in the oven 
any longer we will burn.” 

She was surprised to hear the bread speak to 


234 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


her, but she opened the door and drew the loaves 
out, and set them neatly on end to cool. Then 
she went on. 

A little farther, she came to an apple-tree. It 
was so loaded down with fruit that the branches 
bent with the weight of it. 

“ Shake me! Shake me! ” cried the apple-tree. 
“ My apples are ripe and my boughs are like to 
break with the weight of them.” 

The girl shook the apple-tree till the apples fell 
about her in a shower. She piled the apples 
neatly about the tree and went on her way. 

After awhile she came to a little house, and an 
ugly old woman with long yellow teeth was looking 
out of the window. The girl was frightened at the 
old woman’s looks, and was about to turn away, 
but the woman called to her, “ Do not be afraid. I 
will not hurt you. I need a serving-maid. Come 
in, and if you serve me faithfully I will reward you 
well.” 

The girl did not feel afraid any longer. She 
opened the door and went in. 

The old woman took her upstairs and showed 
her a great feather bed. “I am Mother Hulda,” 


MOTHER HULDA 


235 

said she. “ It is I who send out the frost and snow 
over the world. Every day you must give my bed 
a good beating. Then, when the feathers fly, it 
snows upon the earth.” 

The girl stayed with Mother Hulda many 
months. Every day she gave the bed such a good 
beating that the feathers flew, and there was much 
snow that year. Mother Hulda was very much 
pleased with her. She was kind to her, and the 
girl had all she wanted to eat, and that of the best, 
and a comfortable bed to sleep in; but all the same, 
by the time the winter was over she began to feel 
sad and dull. She longed to see her home and her 
mother and sister, too, even though they were 
unkind to her. 

“ Now I see it is time for you to go back to the 
earth again, ” said Mother Hulda. u You have 
served me well and faithfully, and you shall be 
rewarded as I promised you.” 

She then opened a closet door and brought out the 
girl’s spindle and gave it to her. After that she took 
the girl by the hand and led her out of the house 
and along a road to a great gate that stood open. 

“ There lies your way,” said Mother Hulda. 


236 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The girl passed out through the gate, and as 
she did so a shower of gold fell all about her like 
rain, and stuck to her so that she glittered from 
head to foot with gold; even her shoes and her 
clothes were golden. 

“ That is my reward to you because you have 
been a good servant,” cried Mother Hulda. Then 
the gate closed, and the girl ran along the road and 
quickly came to the house of her stepmother. 

As she entered the gate the cock crowed loudly, 
“ Cock-a-doodle-doo! Our golden girl’s come 
home again.” 

She entered the house, and now her mother 
and sister were glad to see her because she was 
covered with gold. They asked her where she had 
been and who had given her all that treasure. 

The girl told them. Then they were filled with 
envy. 

“ Here! Take your spindle,” cried the widow 
to her own daughter. “ Throw it in the well and 
jump down after it. If Mother Hulda has rewarded 
your sister in this way what will she not do for 
you ? No doubt you will come home all covered 
with diamonds and rubies.” 


MOTHER HULDA 


237 


The ugly girl took her spindle and threw it 
down the well, as her mother bade her, and 
jumped in after it. Down, down she went, just 
as her sister had done, and there was the green 
meadow with the road leading aoross it. 

The girl hurried along the road, for she was in 
haste to reach Mother Hulda’s house and get a 
reward, and presently she came to the oven. 

“ Take us out! Take us out!” cried the loaves 
inside. “ We will burn if we are left in here any 
longer. ,, 

“ Why should I blacken my hands for you ? ” 
cried the girl. “ Stay where you are, and if you 
bum no one will be the worse for it but yourselves.” 
And so saying she went on her way. 

A little farther she came to the apple-tree, and 
its boughs were bent with the weight of the fruit 
it bore. 

“ Shake me! Shake me! ” cried the apple-tree. 
“ My fruit is ripe, and my boughs are like to break 
with the weight of it.” 

“Not I!” cried the girl. “I will not shake 
you. Suppose one of the apples should fall upon 
my head. Your boughs may break for all of me! ” 


238 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


And so she went on her way, munching an apple 
that she had picked up from off the ground. 

It was not long before she came to Mother 
Hulda’s house, and there was Mother Hulda 
herself looking out of the window. The ugly 
girl was not afraid of her and her long teeth, for 
the good sister had already told her about them. 
She marched up to the door and opened it as bold 
as bold. 

“ I have come to take service with you,” she 
said, “ and to get the reward.” 

“ Very well,” answered Mother Hulda. “ If you 
serve me well and faithfully the reward shall not 
be lacking.” 

She then took the ugly girl upstairs and showed 
her the bed, and told her how she was to shake 
and beat it. Then she left her there. 

The ugly girl began to beat the bed, but she 
soon tired of it and came downstairs and asked if 
supper were ready. Mother Hulda frowned, but 
she said nothing, and she gave the girl a good sup¬ 
per of bread and meat. 

The next day the ugly girl hardly beat the bed 
at all, and the next day it was still worse. At the 


MOTHER HULDA 


239 

end of the week hardly a flake of snow had floated 
out over the world. 

“ You will never do for me,” said Mother Hulda. 
“ You will have to go.” 

“ Very well,” answered the girl. “ I am willing, 
but give me my reward first.” 

“ Yes, you shall have your reward,” said Mother 
Hulda, “ and you deserve it.” 

She opened the closet and took out the spindle 
and gave it to her, and led her along the road to 
the open gate. The girl was very much pleased. 
“ Now in a moment,” thought she, “ I will be all 
covered with gold the way my sister was, unless 
I am covered with diamonds and rubies.” 

“ There lies your way,” cried Mother Hulda. 

The girl ran through the gate, but instead of gold 
or precious stones, a shower of soot fell over her so 
that she was black from head to foot. 

“ That is the reward of your services,” cried 
Mother Hulda to the girl, and then she banged the 
gate and locked it so that the girl could not come 
back. 

So the lazy daughter ran home, crying, and as 
she entered the gate the cock crowed loudly, 


240 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ Cock-a-doodle-doo! Our sooty girl’s come home 
again.” 

And try as she might the ugly girl could never 
get the soot entirely off her. But as to the good 
sister she was married to a great nobleman, and 
lived happy ever after. 






THE SIX COMPANIONS 


A certain man named John had been a faithful 
soldier, and had served the King all through the war, 
and had been wounded, too; but when the war 
came to an end and he was discharged he only 
received three pieces of silver as payment. 

“ That is a mean way to treat a fellow,” said 
John. “But never mind! If I can only get the 
right sort of friends to help me we will get all the 
King’s treasure from him before we are done.” 

So he shouldered his knapsack and off he set 
into the world to find the right sort of friends to 
help him do this. 

He walked along and walked along till he came 
to a wood, and there was a man pulling up trees by 
the roots as though they were no more than grasses. 

“ Yo;u are the very man for me,” said John. 
“ Come along with me and we will make our 
fortunes.” 

The man was willing. “ But wait,” said he, 


243 


244 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ until I tie these fagots together and take them 
home to my mother.” 

He laid six of the trees together and twisted the 
seventh around them to hold them. Then he 
walked off with them on his shoulder as easily as 
though they were nothing. 

When he came back he and the soldier started 
out in search of their fortunes. 

They had not gone far when they came to a 
hunter who had raised his gun to his shoulder and 
was taking careful aim. The soldier looked about 
over the meadows, but could see nothing to shoot. 

“ What are you aiming at ? ” asked he. 

“ Two miles away there is a forest,” said the 
man. “ In the forest is an oak tree. On the top¬ 
most leaf of that oak tree there is a fly. I am 
going to shoot out the left eye of that fly.” 

“ Come along with me,” said the soldier, “ we 
three will certainly make our fortunes together.” 

Very well; the hunter was willing. So he 
shouldered the gun and off he tramped alongside 
of the other. 

Presently they came to seven mill-wheels, and 
the sails were turning merrily, and yet there was 


THE SIX COMPANIONS 


245 


not a breath of wind stirring. “ That is a curious 
thing! ” said the soldier. “ Now what is turning 
those sails I should like to know.” 

Two miles farther on they came to a man sit¬ 
ting on top of a hill. He held a finger on one side of 
his nose and blew through the other. 

“ What are you doing? ” asked the soldier. 

“ I am blowing to turn the wheels of seven wind¬ 
mills two miles away, so that the miller can grind 
his corn,” answered the man. 

“ Come with us,” said the soldier. “ We are 
going out into the world to make our fortunes.” 

Very well, the man was willing; the wind was 
springing up, anyway, so the miller would not need 
him. So now there were four of them journeying 
along together. 

After awhile they came to a heap of rocks, and 
there in the shade of it sat a man. He had un¬ 
fastened one of his legs, and taken it off, and he 
sat with the other stretched out before him. 

“ That is a good way to rest,” said the soldier. 

“I am not doing this to rest,” said the man. 
“ I am a runner. If I were to put on this other leg 
and start off I would be out of sight in a twinkling. 


246 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


I have arranged to take off one leg so that I can go 
more slowly; though ordinary people find it hard 
to keep up with me even so.” 

“ Take up your leg and come with us,” said the 
soldier. “ We are going to make our fortunes, and 
it shall be share and share alike with us if you 
will come along.” 

To this the runner agreed. He took up his one 
leg and hopped along on the other, and they found 
it hard work to keep up with him, he went so fast. 

They had gone but a mile or so when they met a 
man who wore a little hat cocked down over one 
ear. 

“ Hello!” called the soldier. “Why do you 
wear your hat in that fashion instead of straight 
on your head like other people ? ” 

“ Oh, every time I set it straight there comes such 
a heavy frost that the flowers are blighted, and 
even the birds freeze in the trees.” 

“ That is a wonderful gift,” said the soldier. 
“ Come along with us, and we will make our for¬ 
tunes together. And now there are six of us, and 
that is enough. We will have no more in our 
company.” 


THE SIX COMPANIONS 


247 


So the six stout comrades journeyed on until 
they came to the town where the King lived. This 
King had one daughter, and she could run so fast 
that it was like a bird skimming along, and the King 
had said that no one should marry her unless he 
could run faster than she could; if such a one came 
along he should have her for a wife. But so far no 
one had been able to outrun her. 

The soldier with his five comrades marched up 
to the palace and knocked at the door as bold as 
bold, and asked to see the King. 

At first the gatekeeper did not wish to let the six 
in, for they were worn and dusty, but the soldier 
looked at him so fiercely that he did not dare to 
refuse. 

The six comrades were brought into the great 
hall where the King sat with his daughter beside 
him and all his nobles about him. 

Well, and what did the soldier and his fellows 
want with the King. 

Oh, the soldier wanted to try a race with the 
princess; but he was not much of a runner himself, 
so he would let his servant run for him. 

The King was willing for that, but he warned the 


248 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

soldier that if he failed in the race he and his ser¬ 
vant, too, would lose their lives. 

The soldier was not afraid to risk that, so the 
race course was laid out, and the Princess and the 
runner made ready. They were to run to a foun¬ 
tain miles and miles and miles away, and each was 
to fill a pitcher with water and bring it back to the 
palace. Whichever first returned with the water 
would win the race. 

The runner stooped down and buckled on his 
second leg, and then he was ready, and he and the 
Princess set out. The Princess flew like a bird, 
but the runner ran like the wind. He was out of 
sight in a twinkling, and had filled his pitcher and 
started home again before the Princess was half¬ 
way to the fountain. 

The runner sat down to rest a bit. He was very 
sleepy and he thought he would just take a little 
nap before going the rest of the way. In order not 
to be too comfortable and sleep too long he picked 
up a horse’s skull that lay in a field near by and put 
it under his head for a pillow. 

But the runner slept more soundly than he meant 
to do. 


THE SIX COMPANIONS 


249 


The Princess also reached the fountain and filled 
her pitcher and started home again, and then, half¬ 
way home, she came across the runner fast asleep 
with his pitcher of water beside him. 

This was the chance for the Princess. Very 
quietly she poured the water from the runnels 
pitcher, and set it down beside him empty. Then 
she hurried on toward the palace, leaving the 
runner still asleep. 

And now all would have been lost except for the 
hunter. He had been watching from the palace 
window and had seen everything that happened. 
He made haste to load his gun, and took aim and 
shot the skull from under the sleeper’s head. This 
awakened the runner. He sat up and looked about 
him. 

There was the Princess almost back at the palace, 
and his pitcher lay empty beside him. 

However, this was nothing to him. He picked up 
his pitcher and away he went, swifter than the wind. 
He ran back to the fountain and filled the pitcher, 
and got back with it to the castle door before the 
Princess had come in at the outer gate. 

And now by rights the Princess belonged to the 


250 


MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


soldier, but the King could not make up his mind to 
have her married to a common man like that. As 
for the Princess she was ready to cry her eyes out 
at the thought of it. She and the King talked and 
talked together, and at last they made up a plan 
between them. 

The King had a room made that was all of iron 
and could be heated until it faas hotter than any 
oven. Then he called the comrades to him and 
said, “ Now you have fairly won the race, and I 
have ordered food and drink to be set out for you, 
so that you may make merry over it.” 

He then showed the companions into the iron 
room, and ther^ a grand feast had been made ready. 
The six sat down at table and began to eat and 
drink, but the king went on out and locked the 
doors behind him. Then he ordered a fire to be 
built under the room, and to be kept up until the 
room was red hot. 

The six companions sat around the table eating 
and drinking merrily enough, until they began to 
feel too warm. Then they got up to leave the room, 
but they found the door was locked and they were 
fastened in. At once they guessed the trick that 


THE SIX COMPANIONS 


251 

had been played upon them, but they were not 
troubled over that in the least. 

“ This is something for you to see to,” said the 
soldier to the man with the hat over one ear. 

The man set his hat straight and at once a frost 
fell upon the room. It grew so cold that the com¬ 
rades had to turn up their coat collars and walk 
about to keep warm. 

The King waited until he thought the six would 
certainly be suffocated by the heat, and then he 
ordered the door to be opened. What was his 
surprise when all the men walked out just as well 
and hearty as ever, except that they looked some¬ 
what pinched with the cold. 

But the King was as unwilling as ever to give his 
daughter to the soldier. He called the soldier to 
him and said, “ Listen, if you will give up marrying 
the Princess I will make you rich for life.” 

“ Yes, but how much will you give me ? ” asked 
the soldier. 

“ I will give you all the gold you can carry.” 

Well, the soldier hardly knew what to say to 
that. Ever since he had been in the war his back 
had been weak; but if the King would give him as 


252 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


much as his servant could carry he would give up 
the Princess and welcome. 

The King did not care who carried off the gold. 
He was quite willing to give as much as the servant 
could carry. 

“ Very well,” said the soldier. “ In a week’s 
time I will come back for the gold, and do you 
gather it together and have it ready for me.” 

The next thing the soldier did was to hire all the 
tailors he could get, and have them make for him 
an enormous sack, and when it was finished it was 
as big as a house. 

When it was done he and the strong man went 
back to the palace together, and the week was just 
up. The strong man carried the sack, rolled up, on 
his shoulders. 

Meanwhile the King had had a ton of gold 
brought up from his treasure-house, and that, he 
was sure, was more than the strongest man could 
carry. 

When the soldier and his comrade came where 
the gold was the strong man opened up the sack, 
and taking up the ton of gold with one hand he 
threw it into the sack. “ That will do for a be- 


THE SIX COMPANIONS 


253 

ginning,” said he, “ but we will have to have more 
than that.” 

The King was frightened. He ordered more gold 
and more to be brought up from his treasure-house, 
and still there did not begin to be enough. “ I can 
easily carry twice as much, and more,” cried the 
strong man. 

At last the King’s treasure-house was empty, and 
he sent out all over the kingdom for more gold, and 
still there was not enough. 

“ Oh, well! ” cried the strong man at last, “ I see 
you have done your best; we will have to be con¬ 
tent with what we have.” Then he swung the sack 
up over his shoulder and marched off with it, and 
the soldier and the other comrades went along with 
him. 

But the King was in a terrible state of mind. 
Here all his treasure had been carried off by a 
common soldier and his followers. He would al¬ 
most rather have given up the Princess than that. 
He stamped and raged, and then he called his horse¬ 
men together, and sent out two regiments after the 
comrades to bring them back again and the treas¬ 
ure with them. 


254 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


It did not take the horsemen long to catch up to 
the comrades for they were traveling along quietly 
enough, and without any haste. 

“ Stop! stop! ” cried the captain of the regiment. 
“ I have come to take you and the treasure back to 
the King. Will you come along quietly, or will we 
have to drag you ? ” 

“ Wait a bit,” said the blower. “ Before we 
talk further about it suppose you take a dance in 
the air.” He put one finger to his nostril and blew 
through the other and away went the captain and 
his regiment, whirling and dancing through the air 
like dry leaves when the wind blows them. 

After awhile he allowed them to settle down to 
earth again. “ There! ” said he. “ Have you had 
enough, or would you like another dance ? ” 

No! the regiment had no wish for another whirl 
through the air. All they wished for now was to get 
safely back to the palace again. 

“ Very well,” said the blower. “ Then go back 
to the King and tell him if he sends his whole army 
out after us I will treat it in the same way.” 

But this the King dared not do. His treasure 
was gone and he could not risk having his army 


THE SIX COMPANIONS 


255 


blown away, into the bargain. The comrades went 
on their way with no further hindrance, and after 
awhile they sat down and divided the treasure 
among them and each one had enough to make him 
rich and prosperous for life. 



THE GOLDEN BIRD 


There was once a King who had in his gardens 
an apple-tree that bore golden apples. Every day 
the King went out to count the apples, and no one 
was allowed to touch them but himself. 

One morning, when the King went out to count 
them as usual he found that one of them was gone. 
He was very much vexed, and ordered that at 
night a guard should be set around the garden, 
that no one might steal the apples, but the very 
next morning still another one was missing. So 
it happened day after day. Every gate to the 
garden was carefully guarded, and yet every 
morning another apple was gone from the tree, and 
they could not tell who had taken it. 

256 








THE GOLDEN BIRD 


257 


Now the King had three sons, and one day the 
eldest came to his father and said, “ Father, to¬ 
night I will watch under the apple-tree, and you 
may be sure that no one will be able to come near 
it without my seeing him.” 

The King was quite willing for his son to keep 
watch, so that night the Prince took his place under 
the tree. 

For some hours he sat there and watched, and 
scarcely winked an eyelid; but in the middle of the 
night a light shone around him and he heard a 
sound of music. Then, in spite of himself, he fell 
into a deep sleep, and when he awoke in the 
morning another apple had been stolen. 

That day the second son came to the King and 
asked that he might be allowed to watch the apple- 
tree that night. 

Again the King consented, and as soon as night 
came the second son went out and sat under the 
apple-tree just as his brother had done. Then 
just the same thing happened as had happened 
before. Toward midnight a light shone around 
the tree, and there was a sound of music, and then, 
do what he would, he could not stay awake. He 


258 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


slept, and while he slept another apple was 
taken. 

The third day it was the turn of the third son to 
ask to be allowed to watch under the apple-tree. 
But the King refused. “ Do you think that you are 
cleverer than your brothers?” he asked. “ Why 
should you succeed when they have failed ? ” But 
the Prince begged and entreated until at last the 
King gave him permission to watch under the tree. 

Now the third Prince was a wise youth; he had 
heard what happened to his brothers on the other 
two nights, so when evening came he stuffed his 
ears with cotton, and then he went out and took his 
place under the apple-tree. There he sat, and 
just before midnight a light shone through the 
branches, and there was a sound of music. But 
the young Prince had stuffed his ears with cotton 
so he could not hear the music, and he did not go 
to sleep. 

After the music came a sound of wings, though 
this, too, the Prince could not hear, and a golden bird 
alighted on the apple-tree. The bird was about 
to pick one of the apples when the Prince raised his 
crossbow and shot a bolt at it. 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


259 


The bird escaped, but one of its golden feathers 
fluttered down and fell at the Prince’s feet. He 
picked it up, and the next morning he took it to his 
father and told him what he had seen in the night. 

As soon as the King saw the feather he was filled 
with the greatest desire to have the bird. “ Life 
is worth nothing to me without that bird,” said he. 
“ I would give my kingdom to possess it.” 

When the eldest brother heard that, he at once 
made up his mind to set out in search of the bird, 
for he thought it would be a fine thing to gain the 
kingdom for himself. He went by himself, taking 
no one with him, for he did not wish anyone else 
to have a hand in the search. 

He journeyed on for some distance and then he 
came to a cross-road, and there at the cross-roads 
he saw a little red fox sitting. The Prince drew 
his bow to shoot, but the animal called to him, 
“ Do not shoot me, Prince, and I will give you a 
piece of good advice that is worth more than my 
skin.” 

“ What can a beast tell me that is worth hear¬ 
ing ? ” asked the Prince. 

“Listen!” said the fox. “I know where you 


260 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


are going, that it is in search of the Golden Bird, 
but unless you do as I say you will never find it. 
To-night you will reach a village. In this village 
there are two inns that stand opposite to each 
other. One is a fine place. It will be lighted up, 
and there will be music and dancing inside. But 
do not enter there. The other inn is poor and 
miserable looking, but that is where you must stay 
if you hope to find the Golden Bird.” 

“ That is foolish talk, and I would be even more 
foolish to heed it,” cried the Prince, and again 
drawing his bow he shot a bolt at the fox. The 
bolt missed the mark, and the fox ran away un¬ 
harmed. 

The King’s son rode on, and at nightfall he 
entered a village. There on each side of the 
street stood an inn, and they were just such inns 
as the fox had told him of. One was a fine place, 
well-lighted, and with dancing and music going on 
inside. The other was dark and poor and miser¬ 
able-looking. 

The Prince never gave another thought to the 
fox’s advice. He turned in to the fine inn, and 
there he ate and drank and laughed with those 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


261 

who were there before him, and forgot all about 
the Golden Bird, and his father and the kingdom, 
too. 

Time passed on, and still the eldest son did not 
return home, and no one knew what had become of 
him. Then the second son wished to try his luck 
at finding the Golden Bird. The King did not wish 
him to go, but the Prince was so eager that at last 
the father gave his consent. 

The Prince journeyed on until he came to the 
cross-roads, and there sat the fox, just as it had be¬ 
fore. The second son was about to shoot it, but 
the little animal called to him to spare its life and 
it would give him a piece of good advice. 

The Prince was curious to hear what the fox had 
to say, but after he had heard of the two inns, and 
that it was the poor mean-looking one he must 
choose, he laughed aloud. 

“ A pretty piece of advice,” he cried, “ and I 
would be a great simpleton to follow it.” Then he 
shot a bolt at the fox, but he missed his aim, and 
the little animal ran away unharmed. 

Then it happened with the second Prince just as 
it had with his elder brother. He came to the two 


26 2 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


inns just at nightfall, and it was at the fine well- 
lighted inn that he stopped. There he spent the 
night in feasting and merry-making, and by the 
next day he had forgotten all about the Golden 
Bird, and his father, and the kingdom he had hoped 
to gain. 

Now when time passed and the second son did 
not return either, it was the third Prince who 
wished to set out upon the search. But, “ No, 
*iO,” said his father, “ that I cannot allow. I have 
lost two sons already, and am I to lose my third son 
also? ” 

But the Prince had set his heart on going. 

He begged and entreated until the King could no 
longer refuse him. 

The Prince set out upon his journey, and it was 
not long before he reached the cross-roads, and 
found the fox sitting there, just as his brothers 
had before him. The Prince had his bow slung 
at his back, but he did not draw it. 

“ Do not shoot me, Prince,” cried the fox, “ and 
I will give you a piece of good advice.” 

“Why should I shoot you?” answered the Prince. 
“ I have no quarrel with you. And as for your 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 263 

advice, who knows but what it may be well worth 
having ? ” 

“ Then listen,” said the fox; and he told the 
Prince about the two inns, just as he had told the 
other brothers. 

“ That may or may not be good advice,” said the 
Prince, “but at least it will do me no harm to follow 
it.” 

So when he entered the village he did not go to 
the fine inn as his brothers had done. Instead he 
turned in at the poor, mean-looking inn, and there 
he spent the night quietly, and the next day he 
arose, and went on his way. 

Just outside the village he came across the fox 
sitting in a field and waiting for him. 

“Prince,” said the fox, “you did well indeed 
to follow my advice. Now seat yourself upon my 
tail and I will carry you on your journey far faster 
than you can walk.” 

The Prince did as the fox bade him. He seated 
himself upon its tail and then away they went, so 
fast that the wind whistled past the Prince’s ears. 
Presently they came within sight of a great castle, 
and there the fox stopped. “ In that castle is the 


264 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Golden Bird,” said the fox, “ but now you must 
go on alone. Follow this road, and it will lead 
you to the gate of the castle. All around you will 
see soldiers lying asleep on the ground, but do not 
fear them. They will not awake unless you dis¬ 
obey what I am about to tell you.” 

The fox then told the Prince in which room of the 
castle he would find the Golden Bird. “It is in 
an ugly, mean-looking cage,” said he, “ and close 
by hangs a handsome golden cage that is empty. 
But do not by any means put the bird in the golden 
cage. Bring it away in the mean-looking cage, for 
unless you do this some great misfortune will 
come upon you.” 

The Prince was so happy to think he was soon to 
find the Golden Bird that he scarcely listened to 
anything else the fox told him. 

He sprang from the fox’s tail and hastened 
along the road to the castle, and soon he came to 
the soldiers lying asleep upon the ground. He 
went past them safely and they did not wake. He 
entered the castle and it did not take him long to 
find the Golden Bird. There it was in the very room 
the fox had told him of. It was in a mean, com- 


/ 

THE GOLDEN BIRD 265 

mon-looking cage, and beside it hung a handsome 
golden cage that was empty. 

“ It is a foolish thing,” thought the Prince, “ to 
put a golden bird in a cage like that. It would be 
much better to put it in the cage that suits it.” So 
thinking, he took the bird from the ugly cage and 
put it in the handsome one. As soon as he did 
this the bird began to shriek. This sound awak¬ 
ened the soldiers. They ran in and seized the 
Prince, and carried him before the King of the 
country. 

When the King heard how the Prince had tried to 
steal the Golden Bird he was very angry. “ You 
deserve to be put to death,” said he, “ but I will 
spare your life on one condition. If you will bring 
me the Golden Horse that goes swifter than the 
wind, you shall be pardoned, and I will give you 
the Golden Bird into the bargain.” 

Well, there was no help for it; the Prince had to 
set out to find the Golden Horse, but he was very 
sad, for he did not know where to look for it, and 
unless he found it he would have to return and lose 
his life. 

He went along the road and he had not gone far 


266 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


when he saw the fox sitting in a field and waiting 
for him. 

“ Why did you not follow my advice ? ” said the 
fox. “ Now you are in a pretty scrape. But 
mount upon my tail and I will see what I can do to 
help you.” 

The Prince seated himself upon the fox’s tail 
and away they went, over bush and brake, over 
rock and brier, so fast the wind whistled by the 
Prince’s ears. 

Presently they came within sight of another 
castle, and there the fox stopped. “ Light down,” 
said he, “ for I can carry you no farther. In the 
stable of that castle is the Golden Horse you are in 
search of. Go on boldly and open the stable door. 
No one will stop you, for the stableman is asleep. 
Only when you find the Golden Horse do not take 
the golden saddle that hangs beside the stall. Take 
the worn old saddle that lies in the corner. Unless 
you do as I tell you misfortune will surely come 
upon you.” 

The Prince scarcely listened to the fox, he was in 
such a hurry to find the Golden Horse. He hurried 
up the road to the stable and opened the stable 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


267 


door, and no one stopped nor stayed him. There 
in the stall stood the Golden Horse, and it shone 
so that the light from it filled the whole place. 
Hanging beside the stall was a golden saddle set 
with precious stones, and in the corner lay an old 
worn-out saddle of leather. “ This golden saddle is 
the saddle that belongs with the Golden Horse,” 
thought the Prince. “ It would be a shame to put 
the other upon its back.” 

So he took down the golden saddle and laid it 
on the horse. As soon as he did so, the horse 
began to neigh and stamp. The sound awoke the 
stableman, and he called the guard. The soldiers 
came running in haste and seized the Prince 
and carried him before the King and told him 
the youth had been trying to steal the Golden 
Horse. 

“You deserve to die for this,” said the King, 
“ but I will forgive you on one condition. If you 
will bring me the Princess of the Golden Castle for 
a wife then you shall not only receive my pardon, 
but the Golden Horse into the bargain.” 

Well, the Prince did not see how he was to find 
the Princess of the Golden Castle, but he promised 


268 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


to do his best. He set out and he had not gone 
far when he found the fox waiting for him. 

“You do not deserve my help,” said the fox. 
“ Why did you disobey me and put the golden 
saddle upon the horse ? But mount upon my tail. 
I suppose I must do the best I can to pull you out 
of this scrape also.” 

The Prince set himself upon the fox’s tail, and 
away they went again so fast that the wind whistled 
through his hair. 

On and on they went, and after a time they 
came to another castle, and this castle was all of 
shining gold. “ Now listen,” said the fox. “ In 
this castle lives the beautiful Princess we are in 
search of. Do you go and hide yourself by the bath¬ 
house down by the lake. Every night, when all 
in the castle are asleep, the Princess comes down 
to the lake to bathe. When she comes near the 
bathhouse you must seize her and kiss her. 
Then she will willingly follow you wherever you 
lead. But whatever you do do not allow her to go 
back to bid farewell to her parents. If you do 
you may answer for it with your life.” 

The Prince promised to do as the fox told him, 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 269 

and then he went away and hid himself behind 
the bathhouse. 

That night, as soon as all in the castle were 
asleep, the Princess came down to the lake to bathe 
as usual. As soon as she came near the bath¬ 
house the Prince sprang out from behind it and 
caught her in his arms and kissed her. Then 
the Princess loved him, and was quite willing to 
leave her home and her father and mother and 
follow him. 

“But before I follow you, let me go and say 
good-by to my parents,” she said, “ for they love 
me dearly, and their hearts will surely break if I 
leave them without one word.” 

It seemed to the Prince that it would be cruel 
to refuse what she asked. Beside, what harm 
could it do for her to see her parents once more ? 

“ Very well,” said he. “ Go, but return quickly, 
for we must be off before the day breaks.” 

The Princess hurried away to the room where 
the King, her father, lay asleep, and she stooped and 
kissed him on the forehead. At once the King 
awoke and asked her where she was going. 

When he heard she was going out into the world 


270 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


to follow an unknown youth, he sent out and had 
the Prince brought into the palace. There the 
King said to him, “You have come here to steal the 
Princess from me, and for this you deserve to die. 
But I will give you one chance for your life. Out¬ 
side my windows is a mountain so high and dark 
that not a ray of sunlight ever comes into the 
castle. If in three days you can level down this 
mountain, then I will grant you your life, and give 
you my daughter for a bride. ,, 

When the Prince heard this he was in despair, 
for he did not see how he could possibly level down 
a mountain in three years, let alone three days. 
However, he took a pick and shovel and set to 
work. For two days he dug and shoveled, and 
at the end of that time he had scarcely dug away 
enough to fill a ditch. 

At the end of that time the fox came to him. 
“ Now you see how little you can do,” said he. 
“You do not deserve that I should help you 
again, but I have a soft heart. Do you lie down 
and rest awhile, and I will do the work for 
you.” 

The Prince trusted the fox, and he was very 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 271 

tired. He flung himself down upon the ground, 
and fell into a deep sleep. 

When he awoke the next morning the mountain 
had disappeared. The place where it had stood 
was as flat as the palm of the hand. 

When the King looked from his windows and 
found the mountain gone he was filled with joy 
and wonder. “ You have indeed fairly won the 
Princess,” said he to the Prince, “ and I will not 
say you nay.” 

So he gave his daughter to the stranger youth, 
and much treasure as well. He also gave them 
each a horse trapped out in gold and precious 
stones, and then the two set out together, riding 
side by side. 

They had not gone far when they met the little 
red fox, and he was on the watch for them. 

“ Now you have indeed won the best of all,” 
said he. “ But it is you and you alone who should 
have the Princess for a wife. But in order to keep 
her for yourself you must do exactly as I say. 
First of all you must go to the King who sent you to 
the golden castle. When he sees you have brought 
the Princess to him, he will gladly give you the 


272 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Golden Horse. Mount upon the horse, and when 
you say farewell to the King and his court, take the 
hand of each one in turn. Last of all you must 
take the hand of the Princess. Grasp it firmly, 
and draw her up into the saddle in front of you, 
and then ride away for your life. They may 
pursue you, but none can overtake you, for the 
Golden Horse goes faster than the wind.” 

The Prince did exactly as the fox bade him. He 
took the Princess to the palace of the King who had 
sent him to find her. When the King saw her he 
gladly gave the Golden Horse to the Prince. The 
Prince said farewell to all and then at the last he 
caught the Princess by the hand and drew her up 
in front of him, and away they went faster than the 
wind, and none pursed them, for they knew they 
could never catch them. 

After awhile the Prince and Princess came to 
the fox seated by the road waiting for them. 

“ That is well,” said the fox. “ You have now 
the beautiful Princess and the Golden Horse, but 
you must have the Golden Bird also.” 

The fox then told the Prince what he must do. 
He must leave the Princess there to wait for him, 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


273 


and ride on to the palace alone. “ When you reach 
the palace of the King,” said the fox, “ he will gladly 
give you the Golden Bird in exchange for the horse. 
Take the cage in your hand and then spring upon 
the horse and ride away with it till you come to 
where the Princess is. They will not try to over¬ 
take you, for they know how fast the horse goes. 
Then you will have all three, the Princess, the horse, 
and the bird.” 

The Prince did exactly as the little animal bade 
him. He left the Princess there with the fox, and 
rode on to the palace, and it was not long before he 
was bade again with the Golden Bird in his hand. 

“ Now you have all your heart desires,” said the 
fox, “ and it is time I had my reward for serving 
you.” 

“ That is true,” said the Prince. “ Tell me how 
to reward you, and if I can do it, I will.” 

“ Then take your bow,” said the fox, “ and shoot 
me dead, and after that cut off my head and paws.” 

The Prince was filled with horror. “ No, no,” 
he cried, “ that I can never do.” 

“ Very well,” said the fox. “ If you will not do 
that, then you can do nothing for me. I must leave 


274 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


you, but before I go there is one more piece of 
advice that I will give you. Beware of two things. 
Buy no human flesh and bones, and do not sit on 
the edge of a well.” Then the fox left him and 
ran away into the forest near by. 

But the Prince and Princess rode on together. 
“ That was a curious piece of advice,” said the 
Prince. “ Why should I want to buy human flesh 
and bones, and why should I not sit on the edge of 
a well if it pleases me ? ” 

“ Why indeed? ” said the Princess. 

The two journeyed on until they came to the 
village where the two inns stood, and there the 
Prince stopped at the larger inn to water his horse, 
and who should come out to fetch water for the 
horse but the Prince’s second brother, and he was 
all in rags. 

“ Oh, my dear brother,” cried the Prince, “ what 
has happened to you? Why are you all in rags ? ” 
“ It is because I am in debt to the landlord,” 
answered the second Prince. “ I spent all my own 
money and more beside in feasting and drinking, 
and now he keeps me as a servant and will not let 
me go.” 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


275 


“ And our eldest brother—is he here also ? ” 

Yes, he was there also. He too was in debt to 
the landlord, and was obliged to work about in the 
kitchen. 

When the youngest brother heard this the tears 
ran down his cheeks. He called the landlord to 
him and paid him all that the two brothers owed, 
and bought them free. He also bought for each of 
them proper clothes and fine horses to ride upon. 

Then they all started home together. But the 
elder brothers were not grateful to him. They 
envied and hated him because he had won the 
Princess and the Golden Horse and the bird, and 
because he would have their fathers kingdom, 
too. So they plotted together as to how they could 
get rid of him. 

They journeyed on for some hours until it was 
midday and the sun was hot. Then they came to 
a place where there was a well with trees around it. 

“ Let us sit here and rest awhile,” said the 
elder brothers, and the youngest was willing. 

They all lighted down from their horses, and 
then the two elder brothers seized the younger one 
and threw him into the well. 


276 MOTHER'S NURSERY TALES 


After that they took the Princess, the horse, and 
the bird, and rode on with them. 

When at last they reached the palace of their 
father there was the greatest rejoicing. Not only 
had the princes brought home with them the Golden 
Bird, but they had brought the Golden Horse, and 
the beautiful Princess as well, and now the kingdom 
was to be divided between them. As for the 
youngest Prince no one knew what had become of 
him except his brothers and the Princess. 

But the Princess took no part in any of the rejoic¬ 
ings. She sat and grieved and grieved. The 
horse would not eat and the bird would not sing. 
The King was greatly distressed over all this. He 
could not guess what ailed them all. 

But though the brothers had thrown the youngest 
brother into a well, that was not the last of him by 
any means. The well was a dry one, and the Prince 
fell softly on the moss at the bottom of it, and was 
not hurt at all except for a few bruises. But the 
sides of the well were so steep that he could not 
climb out of it, and there in the well he might have 
stayed had it not been for the faithful fox. The 
Prince had not been long in the well when the 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


277 

fox looked down over the edge of it and spoke to 
him. 

“ You little deserve that I should help you again,” 
said the fox. “ If you had heeded my warnings all 
this trouble would not have come upon you. Never¬ 
theless, I cannot leave you here to perish. Catch 
hold of my tail, and I will pull you out.” 

The fox then let its tail hang down in the well, the 
Prince caught hold of it, and the fox managed to 
drag him out of the well and up into the sunlight. 

The Prince thanked the fox with tears in his eyes, 
and then he journeyed on toward his fathers 
palace. On the way he met an old beggar-man, 
and exchanged clothes with him. He put on the 
beggar’s rags, and stained his hands and face so 
that he was as dark as a gypsy, and when he came 
at last into the palace not even his father knew 
him. No sooner did he enter the gate of the 
palace, however, than the bird began to sing, the 
horse began to eat, and the Princess wiped away 
her tears, and laughed aloud with joy. 

The King was amazed. “ How is this ? ” he 
asked the Princess. “ How is it that you have so 
suddenly ceased grieving and become cheerful ? ” 


278 MOTHER'S NURSERY TALES 

“ I know not," answered the Princess. “ Only 
this morning I was so sad that my heart was like 
lead, and now suddenly I feel quite happy, just as 
though my own dear promised husband had come 
home again." 

The Princess then told the King the whole story, 
how it was the youngest Prince who had won the 
bird and the horse, and her also for his bride; how 
he had bought his brothers' lives from the land¬ 
lord at the inn, and how they had afterward thrown 
him into a dry well and left him there. 

“ It may be," said the King, “ that my son has 
in truth come home, and is here in the palace, and 
that that is why you feel so happy." 

He then gave orders that everyone in the palace 
was to come before him. This was done, and 
among all the rest came the young Prince dis¬ 
guised as an old beggar-man. 

But though he was disguised the Princess knew 
him at once. She ran to him and threw her arms 
about his neck and kissed him. “ You are my 
own dear one," she cried, “ and to you and you 
only do I belong." 

Then there was great rejoicing all through the 


THE GOLDEN BIRD 


279 


palace because the Prince had come home again. 
But as for the elder brothers they were sent out 
from before the King’s presence and punished as 
they deserved. 

Now some time after this as the young Prince 
was hunting in the forest he met the little red fox, 
and it looked very sad and thin and worn. 

“Alas!” said he to the Prince, “now you are 
happy and have everything your heart can wish, 
but I am hunted about the world, miserable and 
forlorn.” 

Then the Prince was filled with pity. “ What¬ 
ever I can do for you I will,” he said, “ for every¬ 
thing I have I owe to you.” 

Then again the fox begged and implored the 
Prince to shoot it and cut off its head and its 
paws. At last the Prince consented. 

No sooner had he done as the fox asked him, 
than instead of the little animal a handsome young 
man stood before him. This young man was the 
brother of the Princess Beautiful. He had been 
enchanted, and obliged to wander about the world 
in the shape of a fox, but now the young Prince 
had broken the enchantment. 


280 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The two princes embraced each other ten¬ 
derly, and returned to the palace together, and 
after that they all lived together in the greatest 
happiness. 



THE NAIL 


A merchant had been trading in a far city and 
had made much money, which he was now bringing 
home with him. He rode in haste, for he knew he 
would not feel easy until he had locked away the 
gold in his strong room at home. 

Toward the middle of the morning he stopped at 
an inn to give his horse water. “ Sir,” said the 
ostler who waited on him, “ a nail is loose in your 
horse’s shoe.” 

“ No matter,” answered the merchant. “ I am 
in haste, and the shoe must go as it is till I get 
home.” 

A little later he stopped at another inn. “ Sir,” 
said the ostler, “ your horse’s shoe is loose; shall 
I not take him to the blacksmith near by and have 
the shoe fastened on ? ” 

“ No,” answered the merchant, “ I have not 
time to wait. I must be home before nightfall.” 

The merchant rode still farther, but presently 

281 


282 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


his horse began to limp. It limped more and more, 
until at last, in the very midst of a deep forest, it 
stumbled and fell, and could not get up again. 

The merchant was in despair. Dusk was coming 
on, and there seemed nothing for it but to spend the 
night in the forest. However, he discovered a house 
near by, and the old woman who was in charge of it 
promised him food and a lodging for the night. 

When the merchant went up to bed he put his 
bag of gold under his pillow. He meant to watch 
all night, but he was very tired, and presently, in 
spite of himself his eyes closed and he fell into a 
deep sleep. 

Now this house belonged to a band of robbers, 
and the old woman was their housekeeper. Soon 
after the merchant was asleep the robbers came 
home. The housekeeper told them of the rich man 
who had come to the house while they were away, 
and of how she had given him a bed for the night. 

The robbers went up to the merchants room 
and finding him asleep they stole the bag of money 
from under his pillow, and made off with it. 

In the morning, when the merchant awoke, he 
felt under his pillow for the bag, but it was gone. 


THE NAIL 


283 


He called aloud, but no one answered. He 
searched the house from top to bottom, but could 
find nobody. 

So the merchant lost both his gold and his horse. 
“ And all,” said he, “ because I was in such haste 
that I would not stop for a nail to be put in my 
horse’s shoe. It is a true saying—‘ the more haste 
the less speed.’ ” 


LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD 


There was once a little girl whose father and 
mother loved her so dearly that they thought 
nothing too good for her. Her mother made for her 
the prettiest of little dresses; her stockings were of 
fine yam, and there were bright buckles on her 
shoes. Her mother also made for her a little cloak 
and hood of red cloth, and the little girl looked so 
pretty in them that her mother called her Little 
Red Riding-Hood instead of Mary, as she had been 
christened. 

Little Red Riding-Hood had a grandmother who 
was so old that sometimes she lay in bed all day 
and felt too weak to get up. 

One day the mother called the little girl to her 
and said, “ My child, I have put a pat of butter and 
some fresh eggs and a wheatcake in this basket. 
Take it and carry it to your grandmother. Run 
along quickly, and do not loiter nor stop to talk to 
anyone along the way, for I want you to get back 
before the afternoon is late.” 

284 


LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD 285 


“ Yes, dear mother,” said the little girl, and she 
took the basket in her hand and set out for her 
grandmothers house. 

At first she ran along briskly and stopped for 
nothing, but the fields were full of pretty flowers. 
“ I am sure,” thought Red Riding-Hood “ that my 
grandmother would be glad to have a bunch of 
daisies and buttercups.” She began to pick one 
here and another there until she had quite a 
handful. 

Presently she heard feet padding along the path, 
and the old gray wolf came trotting by. 

“ Good-day, Red Riding-Hood,” said the wolf. 

“ Good-day,” answered the child. 

“ And where are you going this fine bright day 
with your basket on your arm ? ” 

“ Oh, I am going to my grandmother’s house. 
She is so old that sometimes she lies in bed and 
cannot get up, and I am taking her some butter and 
some fresh eggs and a wheaten cake.” 

“ And where does your grandmother live ? ” 

“ She lives over beyond the wood in a little white 
house with a thatched roof and green blinds, and 
the path runs straight there.” 


286 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The wolf had now learned all he cared to know. 
He bade Red Riding-Hood good-by and trotted on 
briskly. 

As soon as he came into the wood where Red 
Riding-Hood could not see him he began to gallop. 
On and on he galloped as fast as he could, for he 
was anxious to get to the little white house with the 
thatched roof and the green blinds before Red 
Riding-Hood did. 

In the depths of the wood a woodcutter was busy 
at his work. He saw the old wolf go hurrying by, 
and he wondered what he was after. “ He’s up to 
some mischief or other, and that is sure,” said the 
woodcutter. And he shouldered his axe and fol¬ 
lowed on after the wolf to see what he was going to 
do. 

On went Mr. Wolf, and presently he came to the 
edge of the forest, and there stood the little white 
house with the thatched roof and green blinds, and 
the path led straight up to the door, so the wolf 
knew that must be where the grandmother lived. 

He stopped and looked all about him, for he did 
not want anyone to watch him. He saw no one, 
however, for the woodchopper had hidden behind 


LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD 287 

some rocks. Then the wolf knocked at the door, 
rap-tap-tap! 

Nobody answered, so he knocked again, rap-tap- 
tap ! Still no one answered, and there was no stir 
within the house, though the wolf cocked his ear 
and listened carefully. The wolf pulled the latch¬ 
string, the latch flew up, and he pushed the door 
open, and slipped inside. He looked about, and 
there was nobody there, for the old grandmother 
had been feeling stronger that day, so she had 
dressed and had gone out to see a neighbor. 

The old wolf hunted about until he found the 
grandmother’s bedgown; then he pulled it on over 
his big hairy body. He tied on a big ruffled cap 
and put the grandmother’s spectacles on his nose, 
and after that he crawled into bed and drew the 
coverlet up under his chin. 

The woodcutter, outside, wondered what the 
wolf was doing in the house, but he did not hear a 
sound, so he sat down to watch and see what would 
happen next, and as he was very tired he fell fast 
asleep. 

It was not long before Little Red Riding-Hood 
came running along, and she was in a great hurry, 


288 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


for she had spent a long time gathering flowers. 
The woodcutter did not see her, however, for he 
was asleep. The little girl ran up to the door and 
knocked upon it, rap-tap-tap! 

Then the old wolf made his voice very faint and 
weak like the grandmother’s. “ Who is there ? ” 
he asked. 

“ It is I, grandmother; Little Red Riding-Hood,” 
answered the child. 

“Pull the latchstring, and lift the latch,” said 
the wolf. 

Red Riding-Hood lifted the latch and pushed the 
door open and went in. 

There was not much light in the room, for the 
wolf had pulled the curtains across the window. 

“ I am not able to get up, dear child,” said the 
wolf, still in the same weak voice. “ Put your 
basket on the table and come over here.” 

Red Riding-Hood did as she was told. She put 
the basket on the table and came over to the bed¬ 
side, but as she came closer she thought her 
grandmother looked very strange. 

“ Oh, grandmother, what great big eyes you 
have,” said she. 


LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD 289 

“ The better to see you, my dear, ,, answered the 
wolf. 

“ But, oh grandmother, what long, long ears you 
have. ,, 

“ The better to hear you, my dear! ” 

“ But, grandmother, what big sharp white teeth 
you have! ” 

“ The better to eat youi ” howled the wolf, and 
he sprang out of bed and caught Red Riding-Hood 
by the cloak. 

The little girl cried out, but at this moment 
the woodcutter burst open the door and rushed in. 
The howl had awakened him from his sleep, and 
just in time. He struck the wolf such a blow on the 
head that it fell down dead. 

Then he took Red Riding-Hood up in his arms 
and comforted her, for she was crying bitterly. 
She was frightened and her pretty red cloak had 
been torn. He wiped her eyes, and promised to 
walk home with her, but first, he said, they must 
wait until the grandmother came home. 

When she came at last, and heard the story and 
saw the wolf lying there on the floor, she could not 
thank the woodcutter enough. And indeed, if it 


19 


290 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


had not been for him the little girl would certainly 
have been eaten by the wolf. 

But from then on Red Riding-Hood was careful 
to obey her mother, and not to loiter on the way 
when she was sent on errands. 


t 






t 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 


In a far city in China there once lived a lad 
named Aladdin. Aladdin’s mother was a widow, 
and the boy had never had a father’s care. He did 
as he pleased, and played in the streets all day, and 
was so idle that he was of no use to anyone. 

One day, as Aladdin was playing with a band 
of companions, a tall man, richly dressed, stopped 
to watch them. Suddenly he called to Aladdin, 
“ Come here, boy; I wish to speak to you.” 

The lad came, wondering. 

“ Are you not the son of Mustapha the tailor? ” 
asked the stranger. 

Aladdin said that he was. 

“I knew it,” cried the stranger. “I knew it 
from your likeness to your dear father.” He then 
embraced the boy tenderly. “ I, dear lad, am 
your uncle,” said he. “I have spent many years 
in strange countries, and have made a fortune. 
I came back here in search of you, for I heard your 


293 


294 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


father was dead, and I wish to take his place and 
be a father to you.” 

Aladdin was very much surprised. He had never 
known he had an uncle. And indeed he had not. 
The stranger was a magician who had need of a 
stout and active lad to help in a certain adventure. 
He had noticed Aladdin playing in the streets and 
had found out the lad’s name and the name of his 
father, so as to pass himself off as Aladdin’s uncle. 

Aladdin was eager to believe the story the 
stranger told, for he thought it would be a fine thing 
to have a rich uncle to help him along in the world. 

“ Lead me to your mother’s house, Aladdin,” 
said the magician. “ I wish to talk with her, and 
to weep with her over the memory of my dear 
brother.” 

Aladdin took the stranger’s hand and led him 
away through one street after another, each 
meaner and dirtier than the other. At last he 
stopped before a miserable looking hovel. 

“ This is where I live,” said the boy. 

“Here!” cried the magician. “ Oh, what a 
miserable place for my brother’s child to live. But 
I will soon change all this. You must move into a 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 295 

handsome house, and you must have some better 
clothes than those you have on. I will make your 
fortune for you.” 

Aladdin was more delighted than ever when he 
heard this. He made haste to open the door and 
lead the magician to his mother, and to repeat to 
her the story he had been told. 

The widow was even more surprised than her son 
over the magician’s story, but she was quite as 
eager to believe it as he. It would indeed be a 
fine thing if the stranger would lift them out of then- 
poverty. She begged him to sit down and share 
their evening meal, but this he would not do. He 
said he had business with some merchants, and went 
away, after promising to come back the next day. 

On the morrow, as he had promised, the magi¬ 
cian returned, and he took Aladdin out with him, 
and bought him fine clothes, and sweetmeats to 
eat, and he talked so much of all he meant to do 
for his dear nephew that the boy’s head was quite 
turned. 

The following morning he came again, and asked 
Aladdin whether he would not like to take a walk 
in the country, as it was such a fine day. 


296 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Aladdin gladly agreed to this plan. It was pleas¬ 
ant to be with his new uncle, and to hear him talk 
of all the grand things he intended to do. 

The magician led the boy out of the city, talking 
pleasantly all the while], and on and on into the 
country, so far that at last the lad began to grow 
weary and to wonder when they would turn 
back. 

In time they came to a lonely valley shut in by 
high hills, and here the stranger stopped. “ My 
dear nephew, I wish to show you something here 
that is very curious,” said the false uncle. “ But 
first gather together a few dry sticks and build a 
little fire.” 

This Aladdin did. 

When the fire was burning brightly the magician 
drew from under his robe a small box. He opened 
it, and taking from it a pinch of powder he threw it 
into the fire, at the same time saying some magic 
words. 

Immediately there was a loud noise like a clap 
of thunder, and the ground opened before them, 
showing a great stone in which was a brass ring. 

Aladdin was so frightened by these happenings 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 297 

that he would have run away, but the stranger 
caught him roughly by the arm. 

“ Stay where you are,” he cried. “ I have 
brought you here to do a special thing for me, and if 
you refuse you shall not escape alive. If, however, 
you are obedient I will make you rich for life.” 

“ What do you wish of me ? ” asked Aladdin in a 
trembling voice. 

“ First lift this stone for me.” 

Aladdin caught hold of the brass ring and tried to 
lift the stone, but it was too heavy for him, and the 
magician was obliged to help him. Together they 
dragged away the stone and showed an opening 
and a flight of stairs leading down into the earth. 

“ Now,” said the pretended uncle,“ you must go 
down these steps and they will bring you into a 
palace divided into three halls. You will see in 
these halls great chests filled with gold and silver, 
but for your life do not touch them; do not even 
brush against the walls or touch them either, 
for if you do you will surely perish. Go straight 
through the halls and you will come to a garden; it 
is full of fruit-trees, and if you should wish to 
gather some of the fruit you may safely do so; no 


298 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


harm will come to you from so doing. At the 
farthest side of the garden is a wall; in this wall is a 
niche; in this niche is a small bronze lamp. Take it 
and empty out the oil and bring it to me.” 

Aladdin had no wish to descend the stairs into 
the earth, but the stranger frightened him, and he 
dared not refuse. He started down, but the magi¬ 
cian called him back. “ Here! take this,” he said, 
and slipping a ring from his finger he placed it 
on Aladdin’s hand. It will protect you from any 
dangers you may meet with.” 

Aladdin now went on down the stairs, and at the 
foot of them he found the palace halls the stranger 
had told him of. Everywhere he saw chests of 
silver and gold, but he was careful to touch none 
of them. He walked on very warily and out into 
the garden. He found the lamp without any 
trouble, emptied out the oil, and thrust it into the 
sash that was twisted about his waist 

All about him were fruit-trees loaded with the 
most beautiful fruits he had ever seen. They were 
of all colors, and shone as though polished. Alad¬ 
din picked some of them, but instead of being 
juicy and delicious as he had expected, they were so 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 299 


hard he could neither bite nor break them. They 
seemed indeed to be made of glass, only much 
harder and brighter; they were so pretty the boy 
gathered a great quantity of them; he filled his 
pockets and sleeves and shirt with the fruit and 
then hurried back through the hall and up the steps. 
He saw his pretended uncle stooping over and 
watching for him impatiently. 

“ Did you get the lamp ? ” cried the magician 
eagerly. 

“ Yes, I have it here.” 

The magician’s eyes sparkled with triumph. He 
reached down his hand. “ Give it to me, quick, 
quick!” he cried. 

“ In a moment,” said Aladdin; “ but my hands 
are full of fruit and it is in my waistband. First 
help me out, and then I will give it to you.” 

“ No, no! Give it to me now,” cried the magi¬ 
cian sharply. He did not, indeed, intend to let 
Aladdin ever come out alive. He meant as soon 
as he had the lamp to push the stone back into 
place and fasten the lad in. 

Aladdin did not guess this, but for some reason 
he felt suddenly afraid. 


300 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ I cannot give you the lamp,” he cried, “ until 
you let me out.” 

“ Give it to me I tell you.” 

“ Not until you let me out.” 

Suddenly the magician flew into a black rage. 
“ Then stay where you are,” he cried fiercely. 

He threw another pinch of powder into the fire 
which was still burning, and muttered a magic 
charm. At once the stone rose and dropped back 
into its place, and Aladdin found himself shut in, 
in darkness. 

Filled with terror, he beat upon the stone, and 
called to the magician to let him out. But there 
was no answer. He put his shoulders under the 
stone and tried to lift it, but it would not stir. Alad¬ 
din sat down and wept bitter tears. He felt he was 
a prisoner forever. Suddenly he remembered the 
garden. Perhaps he could find some way out 
through it. 

He made his way slowly down the steps, feeling 
his way through the darkness. As he did this he 
happened to rub the magician’s ring against the 
wall. 

At once a horrible genie appeared before him, as 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 301 


black as pitch, but with eyes that shone like a red 
fire, and lightened up the darkness. 

“ What wouldst thou have ? ” asked this terrible 
being. “ I and the other slaves of the ring upon thy 
finger stand ready to serve thee.” 

Aladdin was astonished beyond measure, but he 
made shift to say, “ If you are able, take me away 
from here and back to my mothers house.” 

“ To hear is to obey,” answered the genie. 

At once Aladdin felt himself caught up and 
carried through the air swifter than the wind, and 
almost before he could draw breath he was back 
in his mother’s house, and the genie had dis¬ 
appeared. 

His mother could hardly believe her eyes when 
Aladdin appeared so suddenly before her. 

“ My dear son, where did you come from, and 
where is your uncle ? ” she asked. 

As soon as Aladdin could get his breath he told 
her the whole story. His mother listened and 
wondered. “ Without doubt,” said she, “ this 
man is not your uncle at all, but a magician who 
wished to use you for some wicked purpose.” 

To this Aladdin agreed, but he was so hungry 


302 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


that he begged his mother to get him something to 
eat before they talked further. 

His mother began to weep. “ Alas! ” said she, 
“ I have not a morsel of food in the house, and no 
money with which to buy any.” 

Aladdin remembered the lamp which was still in 
his waist-band. He drew it out. “Look!” said 
he. “ This lamp must be worth something since 
the magician was so anxious to have it. Take it to 
some shop, or to one of the neighbors, and perhaps 
they will pay you enough for it for us to buy some 
rice.” 

This seemed to the mother a wise plan. “ I will 
do as you say,” said she, “ but first I will brighten 
the lamp, for it is very black and dirty.” 

She took some sand and water to polish it, but 
scarcely had she begun to rub it when a genie, even 
more terrible looking than the genie of the ring, 
appeared before them. 

“ What dost thou wish ? ” he asked in a voice of 
thunder. “ I and the other slaves of the lamp 
stand ready to serve thee in all things.” 

The widow was so terrified at the sight of the 
genie, and at the sound of his voice, that she fell 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 303 

down on her face and lay there. But Aladdin 
caught the lamp from her hand. 

“ If you would serve me bring us something to 
eat,” he cried. 

“ To hear is to obey,” answered the genie. At 
once he disappeared, but scarcely was he gone 
before he appeared again with a great silver tray 
and a number of silver dishes and cups full of all 
sorts of delicious things to eat and drink. The 
genie set it upon a table. “ Hast thou any further 
commands? ” he asked in a voice of thunder. 

“ Not at present,” answered Aladdin. 

At once the genie disappeared. 

Aladdin called to his mother, and when she 
looked up and saw the genie had gone she was able 
to raise herself from the floor, though she still 
shook and trembled. She and her son sat down 
and ate and drank to their hearts , content, and 
there was enough food left over to serve them 
another day. Aladdin then took the silver tray 
and the dishes out to a merchant he knew and 
sold them for a good price; so in this way he had 
money to spend. 

After this Aladdin and his mother lived very 


304 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


comfortably. Whenever they were hungry Aladdin 
had only to rub the lamp and command the genie 
to bring them food, and it was served to them 
immediately. It was always brought to them in 
silver dishes and upon a silver tray, and as Aladdin 
could sell these for a good price he and his mother 
lacked for nothing. 

Aladdin now began to go about among the mer¬ 
chants of the city and talk with them, and before 
long he learned to his surprise that the fruits he 
had brought with him from the garden were not 
glass at all, but jewels, and jewels so rare and 
magnificent that they were not to be equaled 
anywhere. 

Now the Sultan of that country had one daugh¬ 
ter, the Princess Buddir al Baddoor, and she was 
the most beautiful princess in the world. 

No man was ever allowed to see her face. 
When she rode through the city to the public 
baths the Sultan commanded that all the houses 
should be closed and that the people should stay 
indoors and not look out, upon pain of death. 

Now Aladdin was very curious, as well as bold. 
One day when the Princess was to pass through 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 305 


the city he hid himself near the door of the baths 
without anyone knowing it. 

The Princess came riding down the street with 
all her guards and ladies-in-waiting about her, and 
just as she reached the door near which Aladdin 
was hiding she dropped her veil, and he saw her 
face. At once he was filled with a violent love for 
her. It seemed to him he could not live unless he 
could have the Princess for a wife. 

When he returned home his mother noticed 
that he was very thoughtful. She did not know 
what had happened to him. At last she asked, 
“ My son, what ails you ? Why are you so thought¬ 
ful and silent.” 

“ My mother,” answered Aladdin, “ I have seen 
the Princess Buddir al Baddoor, and unless I can 
marry her I no longer wish to live. ,, 

When the widow heard these words she thought 
her son must be crazy. 

“ How can you think of such a thing ? ” she cried. 
“ Have you forgotten that your father was nothing 
but a tailor ? How can a tailor’s son hope to marry 
a princess ? ” 

“ Nevertheless that is what I intend to do,” said 


20 


306 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

Aladdin. He then urged and entreated his mother 
to go to the palace and ask the Sultan to give the 
Princess to him. The widow was very loth to do 
this, but she loved her son so tenderly that at last 
she consented. 

“But have you forgotten,” said she, “ that no one 
can come before the Sultan without bringing him a 
present?” 

“ I have not forgotten,” said Aladdin, “ and I 
mean to send the Sultan such a gift as he has never 
seen before.” 

He then fetched from the cupboard a porcelain 
dish, and he also brought out the fruits he had 
brought from the garden. He arranged the fruits 
in the dish in a pyramid according to their colors, 
and when he had done this his mother was amazed 
at their beauty. They shone so brightly that it 
dazzled the eyes to look at them. “ Now I will 
tell you,” said Aladdin, “that these fruits are 
jewels so rare and magnificent that not the greatest 
ruler on earth has any that can equal them.” 

The widow was amazed when she heard this. 
She could hardly believe it, and it was with fear 
and trembling that she set out at length for the 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 307 

Sultan’s palace. She carried the dish of jewels 
with her, covered over with a fine napkin. 

When she reached the palace she went into the 
audience chamber with the rest of the crowd who 
had come to bring their cases before the Sultan. 
She sat down near the wall and stayed there all 
day, but she found no chance to speak to the Sultan 
or to offer her gift. And so it was day after day. 
Every morning she came to the audience chamber 
with the jewels, and every evening she returned 
home without having spoken to him. 

But it so chanced the Sultan noticed how she came 
day after day with the covered dish in her hands, 
and he grew curious as to who she was and what 
she wanted. At last he spoke to his Grand Vizier 
about her, and commanded that she should be 
brought before him. 

This was done, but the poor woman was so 
frightened by the honor done her that she stood 
there trembling and unable to say a word. 

The Sultan saw her terror and spoke to her 
gently. “ My good woman,” said he, “ do not be 
afraid. Tell me why you have come here day after 
day. Is there something you wish to ask of me ? ” 


308 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ There is indeed something that I wish to ask, 
and yet I dare not,” said the widow. 

The Sultan, however, encouraged her. “ Speak,” 
said he. “ Do not be afraid. Tell me what you 
wish.” 

“ My son,” said the widow, “ wishes to marry 
the Princess Buddir al Baddoor, and I have come 
here to ask you to give her to him as a wife; and 
my son also sends this small present, which he begs 
you to accept.” 

When this widow, so poor and meanly dressed, 
said that her son wished to marry the Princess the 
Sultan could hardly keep from laughing; but when 
she uncovered the dish of jewels he was amazed. 
He took up one after another and examined it with 
admiration. He turned to the Vizier, who stood 
beside him: “Never in all my life before,” said he, 
“ have I seen such beautiful jewels. Truly a man 
who can send me such a gift as this is worthy to 
have a princess for a wife. Do you not agree with 
me ? ” 

When the Grand Vizier heard this he was 
troubled. He had indeed hoped that his own son 
might marry the Princess. Now he said, “Your 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 309 

Majesty, these jewels are indeed very wonderful; 
but we know nothing of the man who sent them. 
He may be only some beggarly rogue who has 
stolen them. ,, 

“ That is true,” said the Sultan. He thought for 
a moment, still turning the jewels with his fingers. 
Then he said to the woman, “ I am indeed very 
much pleased with the gift your son has sent me. 
Go back and tell him I am inclined to give him the 
Princess for a wife, but first he must send me forty 
basins of massy gold filled with the same sort of 
jewels as these. If he can do this I will gladly have 
him for a son-in-law.” 

The widow returned home and told her son what 
the Sultan had said. Aladdin was overjoyed when 
he heard the message. He now felt sure that be¬ 
fore long he would be married to the Princess. 
He took the lamp and rubbed it, and at once the 
genie appeared. 

“ What dost thou wish? ” asked the genie. “I 
and the other slaves of the lamp are ready to serve 
thee in all things.” 

“I wish,” said Aladdin, “for forty basins of massy 
gold, filled with jewels such as I gathered in the 


3 10 


MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


garden. I also wish for forty black slaves, magnifi¬ 
cently dressed, to carry the basins, and forty white 
slaves, also magnificently dressed and mounted on 
fine horses, to ride before them and behind. ,, 

“ To hear is to obey,” answered the genie. 

At once he disappeared, but almost in a moment 
of time a long procession of slaves appeared in the 
street where Aladdin lived and gathered before his 
house. There were forty black slaves, magnifi¬ 
cently dressed, and each bearing on his head a 
golden basin filled with jewels even more mag¬ 
nificent than those Aladdin had gathered for him¬ 
self, and there were also forty white slaves, 
mounted on horses, to ride before them and 
behind. 

When Aladdin saw these slaves and the jewels 
they bore his eyes sparkled with joy. He at once 
commanded them to march to the palace and pre¬ 
sent the jewels to the Sultan, and the widow herself 
hastened away, so as to reach the palace at the 
same time that they did. 

The slaves set out through the city; a great crowd 
followed them, shouting and rejoicing, for never had 
such a sight been seen there before. 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 311 


The Sultan heard the sound of huzzahing and 
wondered what was the reason for it. But when 
the slaves entered the palace bearing their basins 
of jewels he himself was filled with wonder and 
admiration. He turned to his Vizier. “ Surely,” 
said he, “ anyone who can send me such a gift as 
this is worthy of the Princess Buddir al Baddoor; 
and though the Vizier could hardly hide his envy 
he was obliged to agree with his master. 

When Aladdin heard that the Sultan had con¬ 
sented to his marriage with the Princess he could 
hardly contain his joy. He at once rubbed the 
lamp, and when the genie appeared he commanded 
him to bring him the most magnificent clothes, 
such as were suitable for a Sultan’s son to wear, 
also a handsome horse for him to ride upon, and a 
troop of horsemen, handsomely dressed to ride 
with him. 

All this the genie did, and after Aladdin had 
bathed in a scented bath, and had dressed himself 
in his magnificent garments he was so handsome 
and noble-looking that his old friends would not 
have known him. 

He rode away to the palace, and there the Sultan 


312 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


received him with the greatest respect and honor. 
He would have married Aladdin to his daughter at 
once, but this Aladdin did not wish. 

“ Your Majesty,” said he, “ greatly as I long to 
see the Princess Buddir al Baddoor I wish first to 
provide a palace for us to live in when we are 
married. For this purpose I beg of your Majesty 
to give me a plot of ground where I can build 
it.” 

The Sultan was surprised and disappointed when 
he heard this. He thought it would take years to 
build a palace, and he could not understand how 
Aladdin could want to wait that long before marry¬ 
ing the Princess. However, he gave him the ground 
he asked for. 

Aladdin then returned home and rubbed the 
lamp. At once the genie appeared before him, and 
asked him what were his commands. 

“ I command you,” said Aladdin, “ to build me 
immediately a castle twice as handsome as that of 
the Sultan. I wish it to be furnished throughout in 
the most magnificent manner, and I also wish for 
a proper number of servants and guards to take 
charge of it. There must also be gardens around 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 313 

it with fountains and trees and flowers, and stables 
full of handsome horses, and above all there must 
be a treasure-house filled with gold and silver and 
precious stones.” 

u To hear is to obey,” answered the genie; and at 
once he disappeared. 

The next morning, when the Sultan awoke and 
looked from the window, he could hardly believe his 
eyes. He stared, and rubbed his eyes, and looked 
again. There, upon the bare piece of ground he 
had given to Aladdin, stood a great palace glittering 
with gold and silver and precious stones. It was 
far more magnificent than his own, and it had been 
built in one single night. 

The Sultan at once sent for Aladdin, and when 
he came the Sultan made the tailor’s son sit beside 
him, and talked with him as an equal. “ My dear 
Aladdin,” said he, “ you are indeed a very wonderful 
man, and it is only fitting that the most beautiful 
princess in the world should be your wife, and you 
shall be as dear to me as though you w*ere my own 
son.” 

That very day Aladdin and the Princess were 
married, and went to live in the magic palace, and 


3 H MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


as they loved each other dearly nothing could 
equal their happiness. Aladdin felt so secure in his 
good fortune that he never even thought of the 
magician or wondered whether he might some day 
come to claim the lamp. 

The magician had indeed left China soon after 
his adventure with Aladdin. He journeyed back 
and forth over the earth in many places, and at 
last in his wanderings he came again to the city 
where he had met Aladdin. There he heard much 
talk of how a poor lad had married the daughter of 
the Sultan, and of the magnificent palace he had 
built. The magician never thought that Aladdin 
might be that poor lad, for he supposed he had 
perished in the hidden garden. 

At last the magician became curious to see the 
palace that everyone was talking about, and he 
hired a horse and rode out to where it stood. As 
soon as he saw it he knew at once that it had been 
built by the genie of the lamp. He hastened home 
and got out his magic books, and from them 
learned that Aladdin was still alive, and that it was 
he who owned the palace and had become the 
Sultan’s son-in-law. 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 315 

When the magician learned this he was filled 
with rage and at once began to plot and plan as to 
how he could get the lamp for himself, and destroy 
Aladdin. 

In order to carry out this purpose he bought a 
number of fine new lamps and disguised himself in 
poor, mean clothing. He waited until ond time 
when Aladdin had gone hunting with the Sultan, 
and then he started out through the city with his 
tray of lamps, calling, “ New lamps for old! New 
lamps for old! ” 

Many people heard his cry and came hurrying 
out of their houses with old broken lamps, and 
offered them to the magician to exchange. He 
took them willingly, and for all of these old lamps 
he gave in return fine new ones. The people 
thought he must be crazy. A great crowd followed 
him, shouting and laughing. 

At last the magician arrived in front of Aladdin’s 
castle. The Princess was sitting in an upper room 
with her attendants and yawning and feeling quite 
dull, because Aladdin was away. When she heard 
the noise and hubbub in the street she became 
curious. She sent one of her women to find out 


3 i 6 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

what the noise was about. She hoped it might be 
something amusing. 

Presently the woman came back laughing. 
“Fancy!” cried she. “It is an old man with a 
tray of the most beautiful new lamps, and he is 
trading them for old ones.” 

The Princess was much amused at this idea. 
“ Where is that old blackened lamp that I have 
seen your master have?” asked she. “Look 
about and see if you can find it ? ” 

Her woman began to search the palace, and at 
last they found the magic lamp hidden away in a 
comer of the treasure-room. They brought it to the 
Princess, and she at once caused the magician to be 
brought before her. “ Here, old man,” said she, 
laughing. “ Here is an old lamp. Will you give 
me a new one for it ? ” 

When the magician saw the lamp he could hardly 
hide his joy. “ Gladly, madam,” he answered. 
“ Choose whichever of the lamps you will, and it 
shall be yours.” 

The Princess chose one that pleased her well, 
and the magician took the old lamp and hurried 
away with it. 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 317 

No sooner had he reached home than he shut 
himself up alone in his room and rubbed the lamp. 
At once the genie appeared. 

“ What do you wish? ” cried he. “ I and the 
other slaves of the lamp stand ready to serve you.” 

“ I wish,” cried the magician in a terrible voice, 
“ that the palace of Aladdin and all that are in it 
shall be carried away to Africa.” 

“ To hear is to obey,” answered the genie, and 
immediately disappeared. 

That evening the Sultan and Aladdin came home 
from their hunt. They rode along together, talking 
pleasantly, until they came within sight of the Sul¬ 
tan’s palace. Suddenly the Sultan drew rein and 
stared with blank surprise. The castle that Alad¬ 
din had built in a single night was gone. Not a 
sign of it was left. 

“ Your palace! ” cried the Sultan. “Where is 
your palace ? ” 

Aladdin, too, stared thunderstruck. “ I—I do 
not know! ” he faltered. 

“ You do not know ? ” cried the Sultan. “ And 
my daughter! Where is she ? ” 

“ I do not know,” answered Aladdin again. 


318 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The Sultan was filled with rage. “ You do not 
know!” he thundered. “ Miserable wretch! was 
your castle only the work of enchantment ? Have 
you carried off my daughter by your magic ? Now un¬ 
less you bring her back at once you shall surely die.” 

Aladdin was in despair. He begged the Sultan 
to allow him forty days in which to search for the 
Princess, and to this the Sultan at last consented. 

Aladdin at once set out on the search, but he did 
not know in which direction to go. He wandered 
about from one place to another, without learning 
anything about the fate of the Princess or his 
palace. 

At last one day he found himself in a rocky spot 
beside the sea. In descending the rocks he slipped 
and caught his hand on a sharp point, and in so doing 
he rubbed the magician’s ring which he still wore, 
but which he had forgotten. 

At once the genie of the ring appeared before 
him. “ Master,” said he, “what wouldst thou 
have? I and the other slaves of the ring stand 
ready to serve thee.” 

Aladdin was overjoyed to find that the ring still 
kept its magic powers. “ I wish,” said he, “ that 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 319 


you would bring back my palace and the Princess, 
or else take me where they are.” 

“ I cannot bring them back,” answered the slave 
of the ring, “ for they have been carried away by 
the genie of the lamp, who is mightier than I, but 
I can take you where they are.” 

The slave of the ring then caught up Aladdin, 
and in less time than it takes to tell he had carried 
him to Africa and had set him down in the apart¬ 
ment in the palace where the Princess was. 

When the Princess saw Aladdin thus suddenly 
appear before her she gave a cry of joy and threw 
herself into his arms. 

“The lamp!” cried Aladdin. “Where is the 
lamp ? ” for he wished to protect himself against 
the power of the magician. 

“ Alas,” cried the Princess, “ I do not know 
where it is. Already I feared that all our mis¬ 
fortunes had come from my trading off that lamp 
to a beggar.” She then told Aladdin the whole 
story of how one had come offering new lamps for 
old, and of how her women had hunted up the old 
blackened lamp, and she had given it away for a 


new one. 


320 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Aladdin at once guessed that the beggar must 
have been the magician in disguise. u We will 
never be safe,” said he, “ until we have that lamp 
in our possession again. Does the magician ever 
come here?” 

“ Oh, yes,” said the Princess; “ he comes here 
every day and wearies me with his pretty speeches. 
He wishes me to marry him, but that I will never 
do.” 

“ Now, listen,” said Aladdin. “ The next time 
the magician comes greet him pleasantly. Talk 
to him for awhile, and then offer him a glass of 
sherbet. In this sherbet you must first put a 
powder that I will give you. It is a sleeping-powder. 
After the magician drinks it he will fall into a deep 
sleep. You must then at once call me. Together 
we will search his clothing, for I feel sure he is 
afraid to leave the lamp anywhere, and carries it 
always about him. If we can once get hold of the 
lamp all of our troubles are at an end.” 

The Princess promised to do exactly as Aladdin 
bade her, and then he gave her the powder, and hid 
himself in a room near by. 

Not long after this the magician came, as usual, 


ALADDIN, OR THE MAGIC LAMP 321 

to sit and talk with the Princess. She met him with 
smiling looks, and was so pleasant and friendly 
that the magician was delighted. He hoped the 
Princess was beginning to love him and that before 
long she would consent to be his wife. 

Presently the Princess took up a glass of sherbet 
in which she had already dissolved the powder. 
“ I thought you might be thirsty,” said she, “ and 
I prepared this sherbet for you; will you not drink 
it?” 

The magician thanked her, and taking the goblet 
he drank the sherbet at one draught. Almost at 
once his head dropped back on the cushions and 
he sank in a deep sleep. 

The Princess did not delay a moment in calling 
Aladdin. He came in haste, and together they 
searched the garments of the magician. It did 
not take them long to find the lamp, which was 
hidden in his vest. 

Aladdin rubbed it, and the genie of the lamp 
appeared before him. 

“ What dost thou wish? ” he cried. “ I and all 
the other slaves of the lamp stand ready to obey 
thee. ,, 


322 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


“ First,” said Aladdin, “ I wish this magician 
carried away to the uttermost parts of the earth, 
and I wish him never to be allowed to come within 
a hundred miles of the lamp again. Secondly, I 
wish my palace to be returned to the place from 
which it was taken.” 

“ To hear is to obey,” answered the genie. 

He disappeared with the magician, and as the 
magician never was seen again he probably never 
escaped from the ends of the earth. 

As for the palace it and all that was in it were 
returned to the place where it first stood, and the 
Sultan was so delighted to see his daughter again 
that he gladly forgave Aladdin. The tailor’s son 
was raised to the greatest honors in the kingdom, 
and upon the Sultan’s death he became Sultan, and 
lived happy forever after with his beautiful wife, 
Buddir al Baddoor. 



THE COBBLER AND THE FAIRIES 

There was once a cobbler who worked hard at 
his trade, and yet never seemed to get on in the 
world. 

One evening he took his last piece of leather 
and cut out a pair of shoes and laid the pieces 
neatly on his bench, expecting to finish them in the 
morning. 

“ There,” said he to his wife; “ that is my last 
piece of leather, and I will have no money to buy 
more until those shoes are made and sold.” 

The next morning he went to his shop early to 
begin work. What was his surprise to find that in 


323 






324 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


the night the pieces had been made up into a fine 
pair of shoes. He took them up and examined 
them, and there was not a fault to be found with 
them. It was indeed much better work than the 
cobbler could have done. Not even the king’s 
shoemaker could have done better. 

The cobbler set the shoes out where they could 
be seen, and he soon had a customer for them. 
This customer was a very rich man. “ This is a 
very fine pair of shoes,” said the rich man after he 
had examined them. “ I will take them, and you 
may make me two more pairs.” He then paid the 
cobbler well, and went away, carrying the shoes 
with him. 

The cobbler was ready to dance with joy. He 
hurried out and bought more leather, and by 
evening he had cut out two more pairs of shoes. 
He left the pieces lying on the bench as before. 

When he came to the shop the next morning, he 
found both pairs finished and standing side by side 
on the bench, and they were just as well made as 
the other pair had been. The rich man was de¬ 
lighted with them, and he brought a friend to the 
shop with him, who also ordered two pairs of shoes. 


THE COBBLER AND THE FAIRIES 325 

So it went on. Soon the cobbler had all the 
customers he could attend to, and they paid high 
prices for his shoes, for they were better than 
could be bought anywhere else. 

But the cobbler puzzled and puzzled about who 
was helping him. No matter how late he sat up, 
nor how early he rose in the morning, he never saw 
anyone, and he never heard a sound. 

At last he determined he would watch all night 
and find out who was doing the work. So when 
his wife went off to bed he hid himself behind some 
clothes that were hanging in the comer, and 
stayed there as still as a mouse. No one would 
have known there was anybody in the room. The 
moon shone in at the window and all the house was 
still. 

Suddenly he saw two little brown fairy-men 
there in the room, but where they came from he 
could not tell. It was cold winter weather, but 
neither of them had on coats or shoes or trousers. 
They picked up the pieces of leather and looked at 
them, and then they sat down cross-legged and 
began to work. They fitted and sewed and ham¬ 
mered, so fast that in a short time all the shoes 


326 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 

were done. The two little men set them in a row 
on the bench, and nodded to each other as though 
they were well pleased, and then they went as 
they came, without a sound, and the cobbler could 
not tell what had become of them. 

The next day the cobbler told his wife all that 
he had seen the night before. The two talked it 
over for a long time. 

“We ought to do something to show our grati¬ 
tude to the little men,” said his wife. “ How 
would it be if I made a little shirt and a suit for 
each of them, and you can make them each a pair 
of shoes.” 

To this the cobbler agreed. He went out and 
bought some fine cloth and cambric, and buttons 
and also some soft thin leather* 

Then his wife set to work and made two little 
shirts and two little suits all complete, even to the 
pockets and buttonholes, and the cobbler made 
two tiny pairs of shoes. When all was finished, 
they laid the clothes out on the bench, and that 
night they left a light burning and hid them¬ 
selves in the corner behind the clothes, to see what 
would happen. The clock ticked on, and suddenly 


THE COBBLER AND THE FAIRIES 327 


X 

they saw the two little brown men there in the room, 
moving quietly about, though how they had come 
there neither the cobbler nor his wife knew. 

The little men went to the bench where the 
leather was generally laid out, and there, instead 
of leather pieces were the two little suits of clothes 
and the two little pairs of shoes. The brownies 
took up the clothes piece by piece and examined 
them; they held them up and turned them this 
way and that. Last of all they put the clothes on, 
and they fitted exactly. Then they began to 
dance with glee, and to sing: 

“ How fine we be, how fine we be! 

Now we never will work again! ” 

So singing they danced about over tables and 
chairs and benches and so on out the door into 
the night, and they never were seen again. 

But the cobbler prospered, and in time became a 
very rich man. 


CINDERELLA 


There was once a girl named Ella who was so 
gentle and beautiful that everyone who knew her 
loved her, except those who should have loved her 
best, and those were her stepmother and her step¬ 
sisters. 

Her own mother had died while she was quite 
young, and then her father had married again. 
This new wife had two daughters of her own, and 
she wished them to have everything and Ella to 
have nothing. The stepmother dressed her own 
children in fine clothes, and they sat about and 
did nothing all day, but Cinderella worked in the 

328 



CINDERELLA 


329 


kitchen and had nothing but rags to wear, and 
because she often sat close to the ashes to warm 
herself her sisters called her Cinderella. 

Now the King and Queen of that country had 
only one son, and they were very anxious for him 
to marry, but he had never seen anyone whom he 
wished to have for a bride. At last they deter¬ 
mined to give a great ball, and to ask to it all the 
fairest ladies in the land. They hoped that among 
them all the Prince might see someone whom he 
would choose. All the grand people of the city were 
invited, and Cinderella’s stepmother and her step¬ 
sisters were asked with all the rest. 

The stepsisters were very much excited over it. 
They were both so handsome that they hoped one 
of them might be chosen by the Prince. They had 
often watched from the windows to see him riding 
by, and he was so gay and gallant that anyone 
might have been glad to marry him. 

All sorts of fine things were bought for the sisters 
to wear, satins and velvets and laces and jewels, 
feathers for their hair, and glittering fans for them 
to carry, and the stepmother’s dress was no less ■ 
fine than theirs. 


330 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Cinderella sighed and sighed. “ I wish I might 
go to the ball, too, and see that handsome Prince 
and all the lovely ladies,” she said. 

“ You!” cried the sisters, laughing. “ A pretty 
sight you would be at the ball; you with your rags 
and your sooty hands.” 

“ Go scour your pots and pans,” cried the step¬ 
mother. “ That is all you are fit for, you cinder- 
wench.” 

So Cinderella went back to her work, but as 
she scrubbed and rubbed the tears ran down her 
cheeks so fast she could hardly see. 

The night of the ball the sisters dressed them¬ 
selves in all their finery and came into the kitchen 
to show themselves to Cinderella; they hoped 
to make her envious. They swept up and down 
the room and spread their gowns and smiled and 
ogled while Cinderella admired them. After they 
tired of her admiration they and the stepmother 
stepped into a fine coach and rolled gayly away to 
the ball. 

But Cinderella sat in a comer by the fire and 
wept and wept. 

Suddenly, as she wept, a little old woman in 


CINDERELLA 


33i 


a high-pointed hat and buckled shoes appeared 
in the kitchen, and where she came from no one 
could have told. Her eyes shone and twinkled 
like two stars, and she carried a wand in her 
hand. 

“ Why are you so sad, my child,” she asked; 
“ and why do you weep so bitterly?” 

Cinderella looked at her with wonder. “ I am 
weeping,” she said, “ because my sisters have gone 
to the ball without me, and because I wished to 
go too.” 

“ Then dry your tears,” said the little old woman, 
“ I am your fairy godmother, and if you are a good 
girl and do exactly as I say, there is nothing you 
can wish for that you shall not have. Run to the 
garden and fetch me a pumpkin; and let me see 
the mousetrap; if there are six fine fat mice in it 
they will be of use.” 

Cinderella got out the mousetrap as she was 
told, and there were exactly six mice in it. She 
also hurried out to the garden and fetched the 
biggest, roundest pumpkin she could find. 

“ That is well,” said the godmother. “ And 
now the rattrap.” 


332 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


Cinderella brought the trap and there was a rat 
in it. 

“ And now,” said the godmother, “ we are ready 
to begin.” 

She touched the pumpkin with her wand, and 
at once it turned into a magnificent golden coach, 
lined throughout with pale yellow satin; she 
touched the mice and they became six handsome 
sleek gray horses to draw the coach. She touched 
the rat with her wand and he was turned into a 
coachman in a livery of scarlet and gold lace. He 
mounted to the box of the coach, and gathered up 
the reins, and sat there, whip in hand, waiting. 

“ Footmen! Footmen!” cried the godmother 
impatiently. “ Where shall we get them!” Her 
sharp eyes glanced this way and that, and pres¬ 
ently, in the crack of the wall, she espied two 
lizards. “ The very thing,” said she. A touch 
of her wand and they were changed to foot¬ 
men with powdered wigs and cocked hats. They 
sprang up and took their places behind the coach. 
“ And now,” said the fairy, “ all is ready, and no 
one has a finer coach in which to go to the ball. 
Do you not agree with me ? ” 


CINDERELLA 


333 


“ But, Godmother, my rags! I could not go to 
the ball in rags, no matter how fine my coach,” 
cried Cinderella. 

“ Wait a bit! I have not done yet.” The god¬ 
mother touched Cinderella’s rags with her wand, 
and at once they were changed to a gown of white 
satin embroidered with pearls. There were dia¬ 
monds in her hair, and her clumsy shoes were 
changed to glass slippers that exactly fitted her 
little feet. 

Cinderella wondered, and her heart was filled 
with joy. The satin gleamed about her like moon¬ 
shine, and the diamonds shone as bright as the 
tears she had shed. 

“Now, my child, you can go to the ball,” said 
the godmother. “ But remember this: My fairy 
charm can only last till twelve o’clock. At the 
last stroke of twelve these fine clothes will change 
into rags; the coach will again become a pump¬ 
kin, the horses mice, and the coachman and foot¬ 
man a rat and lizards as they were before; so 
by twelve you must be home again.” 

Cinderella promised to obey, and then she 
stepped into the coach and rolled away to the ball. 


334 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


When she reached the palace the music was 
sounding and the Prince was about to choose a 
partner for the dance. All the ladies waited 
anxiously, each hoping she would be the one to be 
chosen. Many beauties were there* and it was 
hard to say which was the loveliest. But when 
Cinderella entered the room no one had eyes for 
anyone but her. She was far fairer than the fair¬ 
est, as the crescent moon is lovelier than the stars. 

The Prince came to her and took her by the hand. 
“ You shall be my partner in the dance,” said he, 
“ for never have I seen anyone as fair as you.” 

From then on the Prince would dance with no one 
but Cinderella, and none could wonder nor blame 
him, for she was so beautiful that the heart melted 
at sight of her. 

The Prince begged her to tell him her name and 
whence she came, but she would not, and when the 
castle clock struck the quarter before twelve she 
managed to slip away from him, and run out to her 
coach. She sprang into it, the rat coachman 
cracked his whip, and away they went, and the 
Prince did not know what had become of her. 

When the stepsisters came home, Cinderella was 




CINDERELLA AT THE HALL 


335 






336 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


again sitting in the corner beside the fire, dressed 
in her rags. 

“Was it a beautiful ball?” she asked. 

“ Yes, it was a fine ball indeed,” said the sisters, 
and they began to tell her about it. 

“ And whom did the Prince dance with ? ” asked 
Cinderella. 

“ Oh, he danced with a strange princess who 
came in just after the ball began. The Prince had 
bowed to us and smiled, and he might have chosen 
one of us as his partner, but after she came he had 
eyes for no one else. She must be a very great 
princess indeed, but no one could find out who she 
was, not even the Prince himself, though he begged 
and entreated her to tell him. She slipped away 
before the ball was over, and no one knew where 
she went. The Prince was like one distracted. 
To-morrow night another ball is to be given, for 
the Prince hopes the Princess may come again and 
that he may find out who she is.” 

Cinderella sighed. “Oh, my dear sisters, let 
me go with you to-morrow, I beg of you. One of 
your old dresses would do for me to wear.” 

But the sisters laughed and jeered. “ You the 


CINDERELLA 


337 


cinder-wench!” they cried. “No, no, the kitchen 
is the place for you. We would die of shame if 
any of those fine folk saw you.” Then they bade 
her unfasten their dresses and help them to bed. 
They must get to sleep and be fresh and hand¬ 
some for the second ball. 

The next night the stepsisters dressed again, 
and drove away to the ball, and more than ever did 
Cinderella long to go with them. 

Scarcely had they gone, however, when the fairy 
godmother appeared in the kitchen. 

“ Well,” said she, “ I suppose you would like to 
go to this ball, too.” 

“ Oh, dear Godmother, if I only could!” cried 
Cinderella. 

The godmother bade Cinderella bring her the 
pumpkin, the mice, the rat, and the lizards. Again 
she changed them into the grand coach, the horses, 
driver, and footmen, all complete. She then 
touched Cinderella’s rags with her wand, and they 
were changed into a dress even more beautiful 
than the one she had worn the night before. She 
stepped into the coach and rolled away to the 
ball. 


338 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The Prince had been watching for her impa¬ 
tiently, and the moment she entered the room he 
hurried forward and took her by the hand. 

“ Why did you leave me so suddenly ? ” he asked 
her. “ I sought you everywhere and could not 
sleep all night for thinking of you.” 

He then again led her to a place in the dance, 
and he would dance with no one else. 

As it drew on toward midnight Cinderella 
became very uneasy. She tried to slip away with¬ 
out being seen, but the Prince followed her every¬ 
where she went. At last she made some excuse 
and sent him away for a moment. Then she drew 
her cloak around her and sped down the stairs and 
out to where her coach was waiting. She sprang 
into it and rolled away. But half-way home she 
heard the castle clock begin to strike the hour. 
As the last stroke sounded the coach melted away 
from around her, and a yellow pumpkin lay at her 
feet; the horses changed into mice and ran away, 
squealing; the coachman became a rat, and the 
lizards made haste to hide in the crack of a wall. 
Cinderella, in her rags, had barely time to run back 
to the kitchen and take her place beside the fire 


CINDERELLA 


339 

before the door opened and her stepsisters swept 
into the room. 

“ This ball was even more beautiful than the 
other,” they cried. “ And the Princess was there 
again, and so lovely that it dazzled the eyes to look 
at her. The Prince thought of no one but her.” 

“ Ah, if I could only see her! ” sighed Cinderella. 

‘ You the cinder-wench!” scoffed the sisters. 
“ Why she would not even allow you in her kitchen. 
But come! Unfasten our dresses. To-morrow 
there is to be another ball, and we must get to bed 
and rest, so as to look our best.” 

So Cinderella helped her sisters to undress, and 
all the while she did so they could talk of nothing 
but the unknown princess, of how beautiful she 
was, and of how much the Prince had admired her. 

The next night Cinderella helped to dress her 
sisters and make them ready for the ball. They 
rolled away in their coach, and then Cinderella 
waited impatiently for her godmother to come. It 
was not long before the old fairy appeared. 

“ Well,” said she, “ and do you wish to go to 
this ball also?” 

“ Oh, dear Godmother!” cried Cinderella. “I 


340 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


wish to go as I never wished for anything in all my 
life before.” 

“ Very well, then you shall go,” said the god¬ 
mother. “But do not forget, you must leave 
before the clock strikes twelve, or your fine clothes 
will turn to rags before them all, and your sisters 
will know you as the cinder-wench.” 

Cinderella promised, and the godmother then 
touched her with her wand, and the rags were 
turned into a dress even more magnificent than 
before. If before Cinderella had appeared like 
the crescent moon, now she shone like the moon in 
its full glory. When she entered the ballroom 
she appeared so beautiful that it dazzled the eyes 
to look at her. The Prince followed her every¬ 
where and begged and entreated her to tell him 
who she was, but she would not. Again and 
again they danced together, and Cinderella was so 
happy she quite forgot to notice how fast the time 
was going. 

Suddenly the castle clock began to strike. 
Cinderella gave a cry of terror. She snatched her 
hand from the Prince and fled away so fast that for 
a moment he lost sight of her. Such was her haste 


CINDERELLA 


34i 

that as she ran down the stairs she lost one of her 
little glass shoes, but she dared not wait to pick it 
up. 

Just as she reached the door the last stroke 
of twelve sounded. Immediately her beautiful 
clothes fell into rags; her jewels melted away, and 
the guard who was on watch saw no one but a 
little kitchen-wench who ran past him, weeping 
bitterly, and wringing her hands. 

Cinderella ran all the way home, and she scarcely 
had time to take her place beside the fire before 
her sisters swept into the room. 

“What! crying?” they said. “Why are you 
not content ? You have a warm comer to sit in, 
and no need to bother your head about anything. 
But you should have seen the ball to-night. It 
was more wonderful than either of the others; 
and as for the Princess, she was so beautiful that 
there never was anything like it. The Prince 
never looked at anyone else. But she went away 
as before, and no one knows where she went. 
However* the Prince picked up one of her slippers 
on the stairs, and he may find her by that.” 

The next day the Prince sent out a proclamation 


34 2 


MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


far and wide that he had found a glass slipper and 
whoever could wear that slipper should be his 
bride. He hoped in this way to find the lovely 
Princess who had three times escaped him. 

The slipper was sent around from one house to 
another, and every lady was eager to try it on. 
All hoped to be able to wear it, but it fitted none of 
them. Some feet were too long, and some too 
broad, some too fat, and some too thin. 

At last the messenger came to the house where 
Cinderella and her stepsisters lived. The step¬ 
sisters could hardly wait to try the slipper on. 
Each was sure she could wear it, and they began 
to quarrel as to which should try it first. At last 
it was given to the eldest sister. She sat down 
and tried to put her foot into it, but she could 
not. The toes went in easily enough, but her heel 
would not go down into it. Then the second 
sister tried it, but that was even worse, for she 
could not even get her toes into it. The step¬ 
mother stood by, begging and urging them to try 
again. 

But the messenger shook his head. “ No, no,” 
he said. “ Neither of those two is the right one. 


CINDERELLA 


343 

But is there no one else in the house who could try 
it on ? ” 

No, there was no one except the little kitchen- 
maid, and it was not worth while for her to try it. 
If the sisters could not wear it she certainly could 
not. Nevertheless, the messenger said he must 
see her. His orders were that everyone in the 
city should try it on. 

Very reluctantly the stepmother sent for Cinder¬ 
ella. She came at once, and so modest and lovely 
were her looks that the messenger wondered that 
she should be a kitchen-wench. 

She sat down and took the slipper from the 
messenger, and put it on, and it fitted exactly. 
Then she drew the other slipper out from beneath 
her rags and put it upon her other foot, and at once 
the messenger knew she must be the one the 
Prince had been seeking. 

He kneeled before her and said, “ You are my 
mistress, for you are the one the Prince has chosen 
for his bride.” 

The stepmother and the stepsisters were ready 
to burst with rage and envy. They could not 
believe their eyes, and would have sent Cinderella 


344 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


back to the kitchen with harsh words and blows; 
but this the messenger would not allow. 

Cinderella was taken away to the palace and 
dressed as a princess should be, and when the 
Prince saw her again in all her beauty he was filled 
with love and joy. 

Soon after they were married, and though the 
stepsisters were invited to the wedding they were 
ashamed to come because their faces were so 
swollen with weeping. As for the stepmother 
she was quite ill with rage and spite, but the Prince 
and Cinderella lived happy together forever after. 



JACK IN LUCK 


Jack had served his master well for seven long 
years without having been paid a penny. At the 
end of that time Jack went to him and said, 
“ Master, I have been with you seven years, and 
now it is time for me to go home to see my mother. 
But oughtn’t I to be paid something first ? ” 

“ Yes,” said his master, “ you have served me 
well, and you shall be well paid in return.” 

He then brought out a lump of gold as big as 
Jack’s head and gave it to the lad. 

Jack thanked him and wrapped the gold up in 
a handkerchief and tied the corners together, so 
he could carry it. Then he said good-by to his 
master, and off he set, whistling merrily. But the 
way was long and the sun was hot. The further 
Jack went the wearier he grew, and the gold 
weighed as heavy as lead. He shifted it from hand 
to hand, but every moment it became a heavier 
burden. 


345 


346 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


After awhile Jack met a man riding merrily 
along on a fine horse. 

“ That is a fine nag you are riding,” said 
Jack. 

“ Yes, it is,” answered the man. 

“ Well, you are a lucky fellow,” said Jack. 
“ There you ride along as light as a bird, and I 
have to trudge in the dust and carry a lump of gold 
that weighs like lead.” 

“ Is that gold you have tied up there? ” asked 
the man. 

“ Yes, it is.” 

“ I would like to see a lump of gold as big as 
that.” 

Jack untied the handkerchief and showed the 
gold to the man. When the man saw it his eyes 
glittered and his mouth worked. 

“ Listen,” said he to Jack, “ I am a good-natured 
sort of a fellow. I am almost home and you have 
still a long way to go. Give me the gold and you 
shall have my horse in exchange, and then you can 
ride along as proud as a king, and I will do the 
trudging.” 

That seemed to Jack a fine bargain. He thanked 


JACK IN LUCK 


347 


the man and gave him the gold, and then he 
mounted the horse. The man put a switch in his 
hand and said, “ If he does not go along fast enough 
just touch him with this and he will go faster.” 
Then he tied up the gold in a great hurry, and made 
off with it. 

As for Jack he rode along holding his head high 
and glajicing about him. “ How proud mother will 
be to see me come riding up to the door like a 
nobleman,” thought he. “ How much better to 
ride with my head in the air than to trudge along 
in the dust.” 

After awhile Jack thought he would like to go 
faster, and he gave the horse a cut with the switch. 
But the nag was a lively one. When it felt the 
switch it kicked up its heels, and away it went, 
jolting and bumping. Jack held on as long as he 
could, and then he fell off into a ditch full of sting¬ 
ing nettles. Luckily a man passing by stopped the 
horse and brought it back to him. The man was 
leading a cow by a rope. 

“ That was a nasty fall you had,” said he. 

“ Yes,” answered Jack. “ Now I see that a horse 
is a tricky animal. A man gave him to me for a 


348 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


lump of gold I was carrying, and he seemed quiet 
enough then.” 

“ A lump of gold? ” asked the man. 

“ Yes, a lump of gold. How lucky you are to 
have a nice quiet animal like the cow to give you 
good milk and butter and cheese, instead of a 
horse that runs away and throws you off.” 

“ Yes, I am lucky,” said the man. Then he 
thought a bit. “ Listen,” said he. “ I have had so 
much butter and cheese and cream that I am tired 
of them. If you like you shall have my cow and I 
will take your horse, and you will have the best of 
the bargain.” 

“ That I will,” cried Jack joyfully, “ and I thank 
you kindly for speaking of it.” He then gave the 
horse to the man, and the man gave him the cow. 
Then the man sprang upon the horse and away he 
rode in haste without once turning to look behind 
him. 

Jack led the cow along by the rope, and his heart 
was light if his heels were not. “ Now I can live 
like a king,” said he. “ When I am thirsty all I 
have to do is to milk the cow and have a drink of 
fine fresh milk; and when I have a piece of bread— 


JACK IN LUCK 


349 


it is easy enough to get a piece of bread—I can 
always have some butter with it, or a tasty bit of 
cheese. ,, 

The sun was high in the sky by now, and it shone 
so hot that Jack’s mouth grew as dry as a nutmeg 
grater. “ Now is the time for a glass of milk,” 
said he. He tied the cow to a post, and then he 
sat down and tried to milk her; but he had never 
learned how to milk, and not a drop could he get. 
Moreover he was so awkward about it that at last 
the cow gave him a kick that sent him head over 
heels across the road. Jack got up and rubbed his 
head. “That is a very dangerous animal,” said 
he, “ or else she does not like me.” 

Just then a butcher came by, wheeling a fine 
little pig in a barrow, and he stopped to speak with 
Jack. “ What ails you,” said he, “ that you look 
so sad and down in the mouth? ” 

“ Oh,” said Jack, “ my cow has kicked me and 
will not give me a drop of milk,” and he told the 
butcher the whole story, how he had exchanged the 
gold for a horse, and the horse for a cow. 

“ You made a bad bargain,” said the butcher. 
“ That cow is old and will never give milk. There 


350 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


is nothing to do with her but to knock her on the 
head and use her for beef. ,, 

“ How could I do that?” asked Jack. “ And 
besides I do not like beef. If she were only a fine 
little pig, now! There is nothing I love better than 
a tender juicy bit of pork.” 

“ Well, there now!” said the butcher. “I am 
too kind-hearted for my own good, but if you like 
I will take the cow and you shall have my pig in 
exchange.” 

Jack was delighted. He thanked the butcher 
and took the pig in exchange for his cow, and off 
he set, wheeling the pig before him, and he was 
as happy as a lark. 

After awhile he met a young man who carried a 
fine fat white goose under his arm. Jack had 
known the youth before, and they stopped to talk. 
Jack told him all about his adventures, and what 
fine bargains he had made. 

“ Yes, that is well,” said the youth. Then he 
showed Jack his goose, and made him weigh it by 
the wings and feel how fat it was, and how soft 
were its feathers. 

“ It is a fine fowl,” said Jack. u But after all it 


JACK IN LUCK 351 

is not as fine a creature as my fat pig, and it will not 
taste as good when it is eaten, either. ,, 

The youth looked the pig all over, and scratched 
his head. “ I do not know about that pig,” said he. 
“ A man just over there beyond the hill had his pig 
stolen two days ago. I misdoubt me but what this 
may be the very one. I only hope you may not get 
taken up and put in prison for having it.” 

“ In prison,” cried Jack in alarm. “ But I can¬ 
not go to prison. My mother is looking for me 
home, and it would break her heart if I did not 
come.” 

“ I will tell you,*’ said the youth; “ I know the 
ways about here better than you do. If you like I 
will take the pig and give you my goose in ex¬ 
change. I may suffer for it, but if anyone is taken 
to prison at least it will not be you.” 

Jack thanked him with tears in his eyes. He 
gave him the pig and took the goose and went on 
his way rejoicing. “ After all,” thought he, “ I 
would rather have a goose than a pig. Not only is 
it good to eat, but it may lay me a fine big egg, and 
its feathers will do to make a soft pillow for mother 
to lay her head on.” 


352 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


So thinking he trudged along with the goose 
under his arm, and after awhile he came to a 
village, and there was a knife-grinder turning his 
wheel and sharpening knives and scissors for 
people. 

He worked so quickly and sang so merrily as he 
worked that Jack stopped to watch him. 

“ That is a fine trade of yours—that of a knife- 
grinder^ said Jack. 

“ Yes, it is,” answered the man. “ People are 
glad to see me come, and they save their knives and 
scissors for me to sharpen. I always can earn a 
bit of money, and when I am tired of one place I 
take my wheel and go on to the next. But that 
is a fine goose you have. Where did you buy 
it?” 

“ I did not buy it, I got it in exchange for a pig.” 

“ And where did you get the pig ? ” 

“ Oh, I took it in exchange for a cow.” 

“ Where did you get the cow ? ” 

“ I got it in exchange for a horse.” 

“ Where did you get the horse ? ” 

“ I bought it for a lump of gold as big as my 
head.” 


JACK IN LUCK 


353 


“ Where did you get the gold? ” 

“ My master gave it to me in payment for seven 
years’ service, but the gold was too heavy, and the 
horse ran away, and the cow would give no milk, 
and the pig had been stolen, but this is a very 
fine goose, so you see I have been lucky in the 
end.” 

“ That you have,” said the knife-grinder. “ But 
after all I would rather own this grindstone of 
mine than the very finest, fattest goose. The goose 
is eaten and that is the end of it, but this grind¬ 
stone always earns me a bit of money to jingle in 
my pocket.” 

“ Yes, that is true,” said Jack. “ I wish I had a 
grindstone.” 

The knife-grinder looked thoughtful. “ It might 
be managed,” said he. “ I have another grind¬ 
stone that is a bit damaged, but works all right. 
If you like you can have it in exchange for your 
goose, and once you have a grindstone the rest of 
the business is easy enough.” 

“ I am in luck indeed,” said Jack. “ I have only 
to wish for a thing and I get it. Here, take the 
goose, and give me the grindstone.” 


23 


354 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The man gave Jack an old cracked grindstone. 
Then he picked up a heavy stone that lay by the 
roadside. “ Take this with you, too,” he said. 
“ It will be useful to you if you ever have a 
crooked nail to straighten. Then you will only 
have to lay it on the grindstone and beat it with 
this rock, and you can straighten it out in no 
time.” 

“ Yes, that will be a fine thing,” said Jack, and 
he took the grindstone and the rock and thanked 
the man and went on his way. 

But the road was rough and the sun was hot, and 
before long Jack was so weary with the weight he 
carried that he could hardly drag one foot after 
another, and the sweat poured down from his 
forehead. 

After awhile he came to a place where a well of 
water bubbled up clear and fresh and cool. Jack 
put his stones down on the edge of it and stooped 
over to drink, but as he rose up again he happened 
to give the stones a push, and plunk! they both fell 
into the well and sank to the bottom. 

“ Now thanks be to heaven! ” cried Jack. “ If 
I had had to carry those stones much farther my 


JACK IN LUCK 


355 


back would surely have broken. Oh, what a lucky 
fellow I am! Everything I touch turns to luck.” 

Then he started off with a light heart and light 
heels, and it did not take him long to reach his 
mother’s house. 


PUSS IN BOOTS 


A miller died, leaving three sons to divide his 
fortune among them. The eldest took the mill 
and the land around it; the second took the flocks 
and herds, and then there was nothing left for the 
third son, Jack, but three bits of silver money, 
and a little cat that lived in the mill. 

“ This is all very well,” said Jack, “ and the cat is 
a fine little cat and can feed on the mice it catches, 
but I do not see how I am to live on three pieces of 
money.” 

“ Oh,” answered his brothers, “ you will have 
to start out in the world and do the best you can 
for yourself.” 

Jack took the little cat and started out. 

“ Do not be uneasy, master,” said the little cat. 
“You have three silver pieces. Take them and 
buy me a little pair of boots and a bag, and I will 
make your fortune for you.” 

Jack did not like to spend his money on a pair of 
356 


PUSS IN BOOTS 


357 


boots for a cat, but he knew he was a wise little 
animal, so he did as he said. He went to a tailor, 
and for the three pieces of silver the tailor made 
him the prettiest pair of little boots that ever were 
seen, and when Puss drew them on they fitted 
exactly. The tailor also gave Jack an old bag that 
lay in the corner, and for which he had no use. 

Puss led Jack off into the country, and then he 
bade him sit down by the roadside and wait for his 
return. The little cat ran off into a wood near by, 
where there were a great many rabbit-holes, and 
there he managed to catch two fine fat rabbits. He 
put the rabbits in the bag and trotted away in his 
neat little boots until he came to the King’s palace. 
There he asked to see the King, and a cat in boots 
was such a strange sight that he was at once brought 
before his majesty. 

The courtiers nudged each other and laughed 
when the cat came into court, but Puss marched 
up to the King and bowed low before him. 

“Your Majesty, my master, the Marquis of 
Carrabas, has sent you a present of these two fine 
fat rabbits for your supper,” said he, and he took 
out the rabbits and presented them to the King. 


358 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The King was very much pleased. He ordered 
a piece of money to be given to Puss, and bade 
the little animal thank his master for the fine 
present he had sent. 

Puss ran back to where Jack was waiting, and 
gave him the piece of money. “ There,” he said. 
“ That is enough to pay for a bed and a supper at 
the inn.” 

The next day Puss set off for the forest again, and 
this time it was a pair of fine fat partridges that 
he caught and carried to the King. “ They are sent 
by my master, the Marquis of Carrabas,” said Puss. 

Again the King sent his thanks to the Marquis, 
and gave Puss a piece of money, which the little 
cat carried back to his master, and it was enough 
to buy Jack food and lodging. 

So it went on day after day. Every day Puss 
caught some fine game in the forest and took it to 
the King with the compliments of the Marquis of 
Carrabas, and every day the King thanked the cat 
and gave him a piece of money. The King began 
to wonder who the Marquis of Carrabas was and 
where he lived. He began to think the Marquis 
was a very generous fellow. 


PUSS IN BOOTS 


359 


One day the King went out for a pleasure ride 
with his daughter, and many of his court rode with 
him. 

Puss came in haste to his master. “ Come 
quick! ” he cried. “We have done well enough so 
far, but the time has now come when I will make 
your fortune.” 

The cat then led Jack to a river, where he knew 
the King would pass before long. He then bade 
Jack take off his clothes and hide them under a 
rock, and then stand in the river up to his neck. 

Jack did this, though the water was so cold it 
made him shudder, and he did not know how Puss 
was to make his fortune in this way. 

Puss waited until he saw his master well in the 
river, and then he ran to the road along which the 
King was coming. 

“ Help! help! ” he cried. “ Oh, help! My master 
—the noble Marquis of Carrabas! He will surely 
drown.” 

“ What is the matter?” asked the King, stopping 
his coach, and the Princess and all the courtiers 
listened. 

“ Oh, your Majesty! ” cried the cat. “ My noble 


3 6 o MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


master! He was attacked by robbers and they 
robbed him of everything and threw him in the 
river, and unless he receives help he will surely 
drown.” 

The King was very much concerned. He at 
once sent courtiers to draw Jack out from the river 
and dress him in robes of velvet and satin and gold 
lace. 

Jack had never been so magnificently dressed 
before, and he looked a fine fellow indeed when he 
was brought to the King. His majesty was so 
pleased with Jack’s looks that he made him get 
into the coach and sit beside him, and the Princess 
was even better pleased with him than her father. 

Meanwhile the little cat had hurried on far 
ahead of the coaches. 

Presently Puss came to a field where the har¬ 
vesters were harvesting the grain. Puss marched 
up to them scowling fiercely and bristling out his 
whiskers until he looked twice as big again. The 
harvesters were frightened. 

“Listen, men,” cried Puss. “The King will 
soon come by this way with my master, the Mar¬ 
quis of Carrabas riding beside him. If he should 


PUSS IN BOOTS 


361 


ask you to whom this grain belongs, answer that it 
belongs to the noble Marquis of Carrabas. If you 
do not do this you shall be torn into pieces, and 
the shreds thrown into the river. ,, 

The harvesters were more frightened than ever. 
They promised to do exactly as the cat bade them. 

Then Puss ran on until he met a drover driving 
a great herd of cattle. Him, too, he frightened 
so that he promised if the King asked him to whom 
the herd belonged, he would say to the noble Mar¬ 
quis of Carrabas. 

A little farther on the cat met a shepherd with 
his sheep, and he also promised to say his flocks 
belonged to the Marquis of Carrabas. 

So it went on; it seemed as though everything 
was to be claimed by the Marquis of Carrabas. 

Now all these things really belonged to an ogre 
who was very rich and fierce and strong and terrible, 
and after awhile Puss came to the castle where the 
ogre lived. The little cat was not afraid of ogres, 
however. He made his way into the castle and 
ran along into one room after another until he 
came to where the ogre was sitting. 

When the ogre saw the little cat in his fine 


362 MOTHERS NURSERY TALES 


shiny, creaking boots he was so amused that he 
laughed aloud. He had never seen such a sight 
before. 

“ And where did you come from, my fine little 
cat ? ” he asked. 

“ Oh, from over the hills and far away.” 

“ And what do you want here ? ” 

“ I only wanted to see you because everyone 
says you are the strongest and most wonderful ogre 
in all the world.” 

When the ogre heard that he was much pleased, 
for he was very vain. 

“ Well, and now you have seen me, what do you 
think of me ? ” he asked. 

Oh, Puss thought he was a very wonderful ogre 
indeed. And was it true that he had magic powers, 
too? 

Yes, the ogre had magic powers. 

“ Can you change yourself into animals if you 
choose ? A lion or an elephant for instance ? ” 
asked Puss. 

Oh, yes, that was easy enough. 

“ I should like to see you do that,” said the cat. 

Well, the ogre was willing to oblige him. At 



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THE OGRE 


CHANGES HIMSELF INTO A LION 


363 






















































364 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

once he turned himself into a lion, for he really 
had that power, and he was a very terrible looking 
lion indeed. He roared and lashed his tail and 
his mane bristled. 

Puss was so terrified that he sprang through the 
window and scrambled up the roof, though he 
almost slipped and fell on account of the boots. 
There he sat spitting and trembling. 

Then the ogre turned himself back into his own 
shape, and he laughed and laughed. “ Come 
back, Puss,” he called, “ I will not hurt you; but 
now you see that everything they told you was 
true.” 

Puss came scrambling back into the room, and 
he looked very meek and timid. 

“Yes, I see it was all true,” he said. “But, 
Mr. Ogre, could you turn yourself into a small 
animal as well ? That must be a great deal harder. 
Could you turn yourself into a mouse ? ” 

Yes, the ogre could do that, too, and at once he 
turned himself into a mouse, and ran, scampering 
gayly about the room. But he did not scamper 
long. “Ps-s-s-t!” with a bound Puss caught 
him and swallowed him down in a moment before 


PUSS IN BOOTS 365 

he could even squeak, and that was the end of the 
ogre. 

Meanwhile the King and the Princess and Jack 
were rolling along together in the fine coach and 
talking pleasantly together. The King was so 
pleased with Jack’s talk that he told the coachman 
to drive slowly, so they could have the more time 
together. 

Presently they came to the field of grain where 
the harvesters were at work. 

“That is a fine field of grain,” said the King; 
and he leaned from the coach and called to the 
harvesters to know to whom the grain belonged. 

“ To the noble Marquis of Carrabas! ” answered 
the harvesters. 

The King turned to Jack. “ My dear Marquis, 
why did you not tell me it belonged to you ? ” 

“ I had forgotten,” answered Jack. 

Soon after they came to the drover. The King 
admired the herd of cattle and asked the drover to 
whom they belonged. 

“ To the noble Marquis of Carrabas,” answered 
the drover. 

The King turned to Jack, and complimented him 


366 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


upon his herds. He began to think the Marquis 
must be very rich. 

Then they came to the shepherd, and it was the 
same thing; his flocks belonged to the Marquis 
of Carrabas. In the forest the woodsmen said the 
wood belonged to the Marquis. It seemed as 
though the Marquis were richer than the King 
himself. 

At last they came to the ogre’s grand castle, and 
the King asked Jack to whom it belonged. Before 
Jack could answer the doors were thrown open, 
and the little cat ran out into the road. “ Welcome, 
welcome, your majesty,” he cried. “ Welcome to 
the castle of the Marquis of Carrabas.” 

“ So this is where you live,” said the King. 

“ Yes, this is where I live,” answered Jack. 

The cat invited them to alight and led the way 
into a long dining-hall. There the servants had 
prepared a magnificent feast, for now they, as well 
as the castle and everything in it, belonged to 
Jack. 

The King and the Princess took their places 
at the table, and Jack sat between them. They 
ate and drank and feasted to their hearts’ content, 


PUSS IN BOOTS 


367 


and the King had never tasted more delicious food, 
and it was ali served on golden plates far finer than 
those he ate from in his own castle. 

At the end of the feast the King turned to Jack 
and said, “ My dear Marquis, you must be a very 
rich man.” 

“ I am so rich,” answered Jack, “ that I really 
do not know how much I have.” 

“ It seems to me,” said the King, “ that you ought 
to marry a princess, for no everyday girl would do 
for you.” 

Yes, Jack would like to marry a princess, but it 
would have to be the right princess. 

“ Then how would my daughter do ? ” asked the 
King. 

At that Jack was ready to jump out of his skin 
with joy, for the Princess was so sweet and pretty 
that he loved her already. “ Yes, she would do 
better than anyone else in the world.” And the 
Princess did not say nay. 

So Jack went back with the King and the Princess 
to his own palace, and then the Princess and Jack 
were married, and lived happily ever after. 

The little cat lived in the palace with them, and 


368 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


always the softest cushion, and the warmest comer 
by the fire were left for him. 

As for Jack’s brothers, when they heard of the 
good fortune that had come to Jack, and how he 
had won a princess for a wife, they wished they had 
kept Puss and given him the mill and the flocks 
and herds. 


THE TOWN MUSICIANS 


A donkey had grown so old and feeble that he 
was of no more use to his master. 

One night he heard his master and mistress 
talking together. “ I wonder you still keep that 
donkey,” said the woman; “he is of no use to you, 
and you only waste your money buying food for 
him.” 

“ That is true,” answered the man. “ I would 
do well to get rid of him. I might sell his hide to 
the tanner.” 

When the donkey heard this he knew it was 
time for him to be going, if he wished to keep his 
skin for his own use. He pushed the stable-door 
open with his nose, and made off down the road 
without saying good-by to anyone. “ I may be 
too weak to work,” said he, “ but my voice is still 
strong. I will go to the big city and become a 
musician.” 

He had not gone far when he saw an old hound 

24 369 


370 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


lying beside the road and whining. “ Well, old 
Bellmouth,” said the donkey, “what ails you? 
You seem to be in trouble.” 

“ Trouble indeed,” answered the hound. “ I 
have grown so old and stiff that I am no longer able 
to run with the pack, so my master had no more use 
for me. He drove me away and threw stones after 
me. What is to become of me now I do not know. 
If my master would not keep me I am sure no one 
else will.” 

“ Do not trouble yourself over that,” said the 
donkey. “ I am going to the city to be a musician, 
and if you like you shall come along and sing with 
me. I know you have a fine voice, and we two 
together may make our fortunes.” 

The hound was pleased with this idea. He got 
to his feet, and he and the donkey went on together 
in company. 

A little while after they came to where a cat sat 
in the grass by the roadside, looking as sad and 
doleful as a rainy day in fall. 

“What is the matter with you, Whiskers?” 
asked the donkey. “You look as though all the 
cream were sour and all the rats were dead.” 


THE TOWN MUSICIANS 


371 


“ There is no cream for me nowadays,” said 
the cat, “ and though there are plenty of rats I am 
too old to catch them. I am no longer quick and 
active, and I would rather sit by the fire and purr. 
For this reason my mistress has driven me out of 
the house with a broom, and I have no place to 
go. What would you advise me to do in such 
a case ? ” 

“ Come with us,” said the donkey. “ Brother 
Bellmouth and I are going to the city to be musi¬ 
cians, and if you choose to come along and join your 
voice with ours we shall be glad to have you.” 

The cat was delighted, and leaping out into the 
road it trotted along beside the others. 

Presently they came to a farmyard, and a cock 
had flown up on the gate post. It stretched its neck 
and crowed, and crowed again. 

“ Enough! Enough! ” cried the donkey. “ Do 
you want to split our ears with your crowing ? ” 

“I must crow while I can,” said the cock, “ for 
that is my business. Every morning I crow to wake 
the men, and I also crow to tell what weather we 
will have. But I heard the mistress say that com¬ 
pany was coming to-morrow and that she must 


372 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


make me into soup, so my crowing days are almost 
over.” 

“ That is a bad business,” said the donkey. 
“ You had better come with us. We are going to 
the city to become musicians, and such a voice as 
yours would be a great help.” 

The cock did not wait to be asked twice. He 
flew down from the gatepost and flapped along 
beside them, but this was tiresome, so the donkey 
bade the cock fly up on to his back, and after that 
Master Red-head rode along in comfort. 

Presently it began to grow dark, and still the 
musicians had not come within sight of the big city. 
Instead they came to a deep wood, and after wan¬ 
dering about in it for some time they grew so weary 
that they decided to go no farther that night. The 
donkey and the hound lay down under a large 
tree, the cat climbed up to a crotch of the branches, 
while the cock was not content to roost anywhere 
but at the top of the tree. 

He had not been sitting there long when he said, 
“ Brothers, I see a light not far off. There must 
be a house there.” 

“ That is good news,” said the donkey. “ I for 


THE TOWN MUSICIANS 


373 


one have no liking for sleeping on the bare ground. 
Perhaps if we go there and sing they may give us a 
night’s lodging.” 

This plan suited the others. The cat and the 
cock came down from the tree, and the four musi¬ 
cians set out together in the direction of the light. 

It was not long before they came to a house and 
the light the cock had seen shone through a lower 
window. The donkey, being the largest, was 
chosen to look in through the window and tell the 
others what he saw. 

The donkey looked so long and so silently that 
the others grew impatient. “Well, Brother Grey¬ 
coat, what do you see ? ” asked the hound. 

“ Brothers,” said the donkey in a low voice, “ I 
can easily see that this house belongs to a band of 
robbers. They have a quantity of treasure piled up 
in one corner of the room, and they are sitting 
around the table eating and drinking.” 

“ Oh, if we could only scare them away and take 
the treasure for ourselves! Robbers are always 
cowards,” said the dog. 

The four companions consulted together and 
laid out a plan for frightening the robbers away. 


374 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 


The donkey put his front feet up on the window¬ 
sill, the dog mounted on his back, the cat mounted 
on the dog’s back, and the cock flew up on to the 
cat. Then at a certain signal they all began to sing 
together. The donkey brayed, the dog howled, 
the cat miaued, and the cock crowed. The noise 
they made was terrible. The robbers jumped up 
in a fright, and as soon as the animals saw they 
were frightened they smashed the glass and 
sprang into the room. 

The robbers fled out of the door pell-mell and 
into the woods without stopping to look behind 
them. 

“ That was easily done,” said the donkey. The 
animals then sat down at the table and ate and 
drank to their hearts’ content. After that they put 
out the lights, and then they settled down for the 
night, each one in the most comfortable place it 
could find. The donkey lay down on a heap of 
straw outside, the dog curled up behind the door, 
the cat settled down on the warm ashes, and the 
cock flew up and perched on the rafters. Then 
they all went to sleep. 

Out in the forest the robbers wandered about 


THE TOWN MUSICIANS 


375 

for awhile, and then they all got together and 
talked things over. 

“We were very foolish to be so easily fright¬ 
ened, M said the captain. “ I have been listening 
and watching, and everything is quiet around the 
house and the lights are out. Let us go back there 
and see if anyone is there. ,, 

To this the others agreed. They crept back to 
the house, and the captain sent one of the men 
inside to see what was doing. 

The man went in and looked about, and saw the 
cat’s eyes shining in the dark. He thought they 
were live coals, and as he needed a light he went up 
and stuck a stick toward them, meaning to light it. 

At once the cat sprang up with a yowl and 
scratched his face. The man was terrified. He 
ran to the door and the dog sprang out and bit him. 
He tumbled out into the courtyard and the donkey 
kicked him. The noise wakened the cock and it 
stretched its neck and crowed “ Cock-a-doodle- 
doo!” 

The robber ran back to his captain trembling. 
“ Let us get away! ” he cried. “ A horrible witch 
sits by the hearth, and she flew at me screaming, 


376 MOTHER’S NURSERY TALES 

and bit and scratched me. A man back of the door 
stuck a knife in my leg. Outside a hideous black 
thing hit me with a club, and on the roof sits a 
judge who cried, ‘ Bring the rascal here! ’ ” 

The robbers waited to hear no more; they took 
to their heels and ran away, and if they have not 
stopped they must be running still. 

But the four comrades found it so comfortable 
in the robbers’ house that they stayed there and 
enjoyed the robbers’ treasure, and never went to 
the big city to become musicians after all. 



/ 




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